I want you to love you as much as I love you. This is what I really want to say to my children every time they walk out the door. This is what I actually say: "Be careful!" "Drive safe!" and "Have you thought about how that's going to affect your grades?"
Underneath I am saying, "I love you SO MUCH that I want to protect you from every pain and difficulty and I'm afraid you aren't going to be quite so careful with your beautiful little life as I would like you to be."
Keeping them from trying and risking wouldn't actually be beneficial. I know they learn by failing. I even know their lives are enhanced by survival of pain and the depths of connection that come from intimate community in pain. But knowing these things doesn't stop me from expressing my hope.
Please love yourself as well as I would like to see you loved.
Unsplash: zhang kaiyv