A Poem of a Parent with Teenagers

“You’re in my thoughts and prayers.”
Maybe instead I should recognize:
“I hold you in my heart, in my thoughts, and in my prayers.”
As I hold you, I’m learning
Not to hold you so tightly,
As this only suffocates.
May I instead learn to hold you with open hands,
Allowing you to fly away as needed,
Hoping you know I’m always here and that you will return.