I Will Always Be Your Safe Place

I know a secret.

It was told to me last night in the dark cavernous circle of trust that happens just before bedtime slips into dreamland.

My daughter had been keeping a secret for months and she was finally ready to tell me.

I offered no advice. I responded with no judgement.

I just listened.

What I witnessed, was a visible sense of relief wash over my daughter.

A weight had lifted.

She shared her secret and finally had someone she could talk to about it.

As she opened up to me in the darkness of her bedroom, I said the following words:

As you go through life you will have secrets. You will share things with your friends that I will never know about. And that’s ok. Just know that when you are scared or in trouble or afraid of what to do next, I will always be your safe place. You can tell me absolutely anything and I will be on your team. I can’t promise that I will always agree with you, but I can promise that I will always try to help you.

I sometimes feel like the largest part of my job as a mom of a young child has been to build up and reinforce our trust. Over and over and over and over again. As she grows up, mistakes will be made, promises will be broken and words will be said.

And I will be her safe place. Even when the mistakes hurt me, when the promises broken are to me, and when the regretted words are said to me.

I will be her safe place.

Every. Single. Time.

Friends will do mean things. Her heart will be broken. She will make some bad decisions. She may even make some VERY bad decisions.

And when she does. I will be here. I will be safe. And we will walk this path together.

Photo by Jeremy McKnight