A Letter from a Mother

I don’t write letters, funny admission seeing as I call myself a writer which should mean I write whatever I can but I don’t do letters. Personal things letters, you have to put the whole of yourself into them whereas other writing only requires a certain amount. You can hold back with other writing, lie even and pretend you’ve been in situations you’ve never actually been in and done things you’d never have the brass neck to do. A letter however sweeps that away and you are left to write the truth.

Truth.  Now there’s a loaded word. Is it wrong to not tell the truth the whole truth and nothing but the truth. For then I’d have to tell you that sometimes I’d sigh in my head when you were asking too many questions and others I’d just lie to you to get you out from under my feet. There’s a truth – I lie to you on occasion but thankfully it’s on a rare occasion and never to hurt you only to make you feel better.

To see a child in pain hurts, to see a child cry breaks her heart for isn’t a mother supposed to stop any kind of pain, isn’t she supposed to kiss the boo boo but what happens when the kiss doesn’t stop the pain, what happens when a mothers tears get trapped inside her because she hasn’t done enough to ease the pain , those tears form a dam, well up inside her and it becomes her challenge to keep them there, for a mother never wants to cry in front of her child, a child should never go to bed at night with the memory of her mother’s tears to keep her awake at night.

But truth be told a mother may find the strength to lift a car off a child but she can’t prevent a broken heart, she can’t make the boy she loves love her back and she will never be able to stop the thunder from making them hide under the blankets at night, we may tackle the monsters under their beds but we can never truly make the monsters disappear.

Life will hurt them, it will take them by the scruff of the neck and shake them, at times making them wonder their value in this strange world and all we can do is stand behind them and catch them if they stumble, steady them on their feet and watch them continue their journey.

One of the hardest truths a mother will ever learn is we can't protect our chilldren forever

We can however love them forever

Sincerely

Valerie

An honoured mother