William and I have had a long, windy road as many of you know. There were times that I wanted to give up. But, I knew I couldn’t.

But now our relationship is shockingly good.

He has gone from a boy who didn’t like being touched (to the point his counselor asked me to talk to the school about it) to a young man who insists on giving me my “daily hug” whether I’m ready for it or not.

He still struggles with depression and his other issues but he no longer directs his negativity towards me and I’m a fan of that.

We were in the car a couple weeks ago and I was Frustrated with Antwan. Or more specifically, I was frustrated with Antwan’s lack of interest in following simple directions. You know, like “grab me a water bottle.”

I was going down a bit of an emotional rabbit hole as I wondered why my kids don’t listen, whether I was a crappy mom and all the other thoughts that moms torture themselves with.

Then from the backseat, William sent me this text.

“When everyone is talking about non-supportive parents then I brag about you and Dad.”

Oh man. Just wow. At first, I thought he sent it deliberately because of Antwan but actually, he had his air pods in and had no idea what was happening. He just decided to tell me. It was exactly what I need to hear.

Parents don’t usually get props from their kids. That’s par for the course. But, on this day, I did. Thank you, William, I truly did need that.

And, next time, I’m just going to ask you to grab me that water bottle!