Dear Child of Mine,
Grown ups cry too.
THERE. I said it.
When I was a kid, I had this vague notion that adults just didn’t cry unless they were at a funeral. But that’s just not true.
Exhibit A: Your mom is out in the storage room and boxes are falling and she is getting extremely frustrated. In her mounting frustration, she stands up quickly to take a breather and proceeds to smash the top of her head into the low-hanging, angled ceiling. Tears were everywhere. Your Dad heard the dull THUD of the accident and came to her rescue.
I know that the range of emotion expressed by adults is much more varied than when we were children. Not all grown ups cry when they stub their toe or watch a touching film or see their loved one for the first time in months. But I just want you to know that I cry, and while you don’t need to be privy to every up and down in your mama’s life, I want you to know it’s okay if you see me crying. Don’t be scared or alarmed. Be comforted, knowing I’m human. My feelings still get hurt. My struggle with selfishness and anger still rears its ugly head. And sometimes I just can’t handle the pain (physical or emotional) like you may think a grown up should.
But I’ll cry with you, too. And maybe sometime, having that instinctual sensitivity that only children possess, you’ll crawl up in my tear-filled lap and hold me.
Love,
Mama
