I'm not the mom you expected, I don't smell like her, I don't sound like her. I'm a different mom, and I love you, and I'm not going away. I am here for you forever, even when you feel sad. But I can think of no greater gift we can give our precious new children than the freedom to be exactly who they are, with all that they feel, so they don't have to bear the leaden emotional baggage of banished feelings throughout their lifetimes. And our priceless gift in return, as truly loving parents, is a secure, trusting, and profoundly intimate bond with our children.
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