I loved you enough to insist you buy a bike with your own money that we could afford and you couldn’t;
I loved you enough to be silent and let you discover your handpicked friend was a creep;
I loved you enough to stand over you for two hours while you cleaned your bedroom, a job that would have taken me fifteen minutes;
I loved you enough to say, “Yes, you may go to Disney World on Mother’s Day”;
I loved you enough to let you see anger, disappointment, mistrust and tears in my eyes;
I loved you enough not to make excuses for your lack of respect or you bad manners;
I loved you enough to admit that I was wrong and ask your forgiveness;
I loved you enough to ignore “what every other mother” did or said;
I loved you enough to let you stumble, fall, hurt and fail;
I loved you enough to let you assume the responsibility for your own actions, at 6, 10, and 16;
I loved you enough to figure you would lie about the party being chaperoned but forgave you for it after discovering I was right;
I loved you enough to shove you off my lap, let go of your hand, be mute to your pleas and insensitive to your demands…so that you had to stand alone;
I loved you enough to accept you for what you are, not what I wanted you to be;
But most of all, I loved you enough to say ?no? when you hated me for it.
THAT WAS THE HARDEST PART OF ALL.