It was the last day
Of elementary school
I now have a
Middle schooler
It felt a little
Weird
Thinking about the
Changes
Coming our way
It felt a bit
Unsettling
As I recalled
The difficulties I
Had at that same age
I watched myself
Get emotional
Happy
Sad
I don’t what
I watched myself
Scramble to think about
What I should do
To introduce her to
Or celebrate
This change
That was happening
Before our very eyes
What should I do
What gift should I give
A necklace
Watch
Telephone
What
And then it happened
She walked in the door
At the end of the school day
Sauntered up the stairs
Came down with her purse
Threw it over her shoulder and declared
I want to make burrito’s
But we have no tortillas
I have my money
I have my purse
I am going to ride my bike to the store
Get what I need
I GOT THIS
And out the door
She went
Into the wild
On her own
Cause
She’s got this
I stood
Mouth agape
Stunned
Wordless
Doubtless
As I recalled
She’s not ALLOWED
To ride her bike to the store
Alone
That is the rule
The regulation
The boundary
Set in place
To keep her safe
That is what a GOOD mother does
Makes rules
Sticks to them
Holds strong
Unflinching
And there I stood
A wordless
Stunned
Doubtless
Mother
Cause
She’s go this
I could hear it
I could feel it
I could see it
She’s got this
She didn’t NEED me
There was no NEED for discussion
The only NEED
Was that I let go
And trust in how she felt about her
Trust that all our discussions
Have stuck
That the rules
Can now bend
In the direction
Of who she is becoming
And there it was
The GIFT
The gift to let her be
Her
The gift to let her follow her own
Intuition
Desires
Wants
Strengths
The gift of her strong confidence
And my willingness to allow her
To OWN it
The gift of a mother
Willing to
Let go
Trust
Embrace
The gift of trusting
The moment
Trusting us
To be in relationship
Together
The gift of acceptance
Cause
I now have a middle schooler
