My Mother Said NO

I was born to older parents and although I had a wonderful relationship with them, as a teenager, I sometimes wished they were younger like the parents of most of my friends. I usually wished for this especially about my mother, when she said no to a request to go out with said friends.

I thought my mother old-fashioned for not allowing me to just go wherever my friends and I thought it was our right to be. In my immature mind, my mother said no because she was old and had no clue about modern life.

Don’t get me wrong; she didn’t say no to every demand but to me, it seemed just to those that would have been the most exciting.  Young, with-it mothers let their daughters have fun; mine was a party-pooper.  I promised myself that when I had kids, they could go wherever they wanted. I won’t be cramping their style like my mother did mine.

Then I had three daughters and guess what? I said no to some of their requests and it wasn’t because I was old; I’d had them all by age 26. It was because it became apparent that saying no to children when you deem it necessary is more a manifestation of love than saying yes to all their desires and giving in to their every whim.

I’m sure it was no bed of roses for my mother dealing with a teenager while in her fifties and she probably wondered if she was doing the right thing.  It is said with maturity comes wisdom and I am thankful for the mother I had and I appreciate her desire to protect me by saying no.`

In the end, I truly am my mother’s daughter. In raising my daughters, saying no at times was the best thing I could do for them. Do they believe this? I’m sure they do but the acknowledgment will come when they have their own children and have to say no.

Will keep you posted.