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 things for yourself even though I could afford to buy them 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 go pay for the bubble gum you had taken 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 should 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.