I love my children, but being a parent can be so hard. It’s not easy, but what in life is? You want the best of everything for your kids. When I decided to have children, I commited myself to them. That includes protecting them from the things that could harm them.

People said it would get easier when the children got older. Guess what, they lied. I’m not sure if I’ll make it through the teen years with my sanity intact.

Today I had to make a descision that would affect my daughter’s life. I won’t get into the details, but I had to do what was best for my daughter. I had second thoughts, because I hated to see her cry. Part of my conscious told me that it was her life. The other part of my conscious told me that this isn’t healthy.

Eventually I had to put my foot down and be Mom. I knew that it would hurt and she might hate me for it. I was willing to accept the consequences. At the same time, I thought that by 18, she might talk to me again.

Then tonight she said something that made me cry. She said, “Mom I don’t hate you for what you’ve done, I thank you for it.”

While I know that I need to give her room to make choices and decisions, how do I prevent her from making unhealthy ones that will affect the rest of her life?

I hope that I’m able to help her become the beautiful, independent woman that I know she is capable of becoming.

It’s not easy being Mom. I love my children but some days I wish I could go back and be the daughter.

Rose DesRochers