I Loved You Enough

by Erma Bombeck

Some day when my children are old enough to understand the logic that motivates a parent, I will tell them: I loved you enough...            to ask where you were going, with whom, and what time you would be home. I loved you enough...            to insist that you save your money and buy a bike for yourself even though we could afford to buy one for you. I loved you enough...            to be silent and let you discover that your new best friend was a creep. I loved you enough...            to make you take a Milky Way back to the drugstore (with a bite out of it) and tell the clerk, "I stole this yesterday and want to pay for it." I loved you enough...            to stand over you for two hours while you cleaned your room, a job that would have taken 15 minutes. I loved you enough...            to let you see anger, disappointment and tears in my eyes. Children must learn that their parents aren't perfect. I loved you enough...            to let you assume the responsibility for your actions even when the penalties were so harsh they almost broke my heart. But most of all, I loved you enough...            to say NO when I knew you would hate me for it. Those were the most difficult battles of all. I'm glad I won them because, in the end, you won too.