Because I Loved You
~ 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.

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