But what does it say about us when we continuously accept the scraps of life, love, and energy?

The truth is; we can’t go back and change what happened. This is not new information. So why do we keep dragging the past into the present? Why do we hold onto old hurts like anchors?

This coming-of-age instinct - this primal ache to step out on one’s own - is something we don’t honour nearly enough in our youth anymore. We shield them, smother their edges, pad their risks, soften the world around them. We forget that the wild calls to them for a reason. For years, I was the one warding off dangers, seen and unseen. I was the buffer between them and the world. I was the shield. But a mother's shield is not meant to be held forever...