Letting Go
You roll your eyes and I bite my tongue. It’s normal, I tell myself. She’s a teenager. She needs to detach. Still, it hurts my heart.
‘You may give them your love but not your thoughts’
I was the centre of your world. Your rock. Your oracle. You looked to me for answers. And now your gaze has turned outward.
Others inform you. YouTubers and Instagrammers, school friends and even teachers are your mentors. You search google and YouTube for advice, instead of asking me.
It’s a part of growing up. She has to find her own way. I’m almost convinced.
‘You may house their bodies but not their souls’
I’ve set the foundations, given you the basic skills to build your life and now I must trust you to use these tools well and create your own masterpiece.
Opening my arms, I watch you soar.
If you’d look behind, you’d see me still standing with arms outstretched. Ready to catch you, should you fall.
You don’t. You aim for the stars.
Fly safe, I whisper. I love you.
If you have a teenager who makes you feel this way, do read this piece by Samantha Gouldson on the neuroscience of the teenage brain. It really helped me to accept that my daughter’s moods are normal, and just part of growing up.
