Letter #2

Dear one,

I’m sorry I overshared so much about my sex life when you were a teenager.

I really wanted you to grow up without the inhibitions and shame that I grew up with. I thought I was doing the right thing.

I wish I had known enough to see that what I was doing might be inappropriate, might hurt you, or might be making you uncomfortable. I’m sorry I told you too many things.

And I’m sorry that when you set boundaries I sometimes ran over them. I’m sorry it took me years to truly understand my patterns of behaviour and the impact they had on you, and to find ways to change them.

I’m committed to choosing better, to doing different.

You are so important to me. I want to honour every boundary you set.

I’m going to keep learning about how to be a healthy parent, even though you’re older and on your own now. You deserve a mom who doesn’t overstep your boundaries. You deserve people in your life who hear you and who hold your needs equal with their own.

I want you to know I’m truly sorry. I look back at some of those moments with deep regret.

If you ever want to share your own feelings about that time, I want to hear it. Whatever it is, I’m here for it.

And if you want me to just shut up about it, I’ll do that.

I love you fiercely and am so grateful we are in each other's lives. I don’t take that for granted. I am thankful for it every day.

Love, Mom