My Daughter Complains I'm Overprotective until She Becomes Single Mom of Twins a Year Later – Story of the Day

A mother tries to be more involved in her teenage daughter's life, knowing she would go through a lot. But the girl has had enough of her mother and makes a drastic decision. Will mother and daughter ever come back from it?

Nothing can keep you up at night as a rebellious teenage daughter can. Take my word for it: my Sally was a teenager not too long ago.

Of course, there are times you will look back and laugh together. Like how your daughter thought she was successful in hiding the fact that she liked a boy in class, or how she would turn red when you would accidentally call her "munchkin" in front of all her "cool" friends.

I had a ton of those with my Sally, my only companion after my husband passed away years ago. But sometimes, things take a serious turn, and you want to save your child from this dangerous world, but you can't. She won't let you…

Things had definitely changed after we moved cities for my work three years ago. Sally was in a new environment, a new high school, and all the excitement and nervousness that it came with.

I remembered my own anxiety-ridden teenage years, and wanted to be by my precious daughter's side as she went through the heartbreaks, growing pains, and identity crises.

Perhaps that was the reason I became so involved in Sally's daily life - what she would call "intrusive."

And every time I noticed that she was down and asked her what was going on, that girl would break my heart. Sally would simply ignore the question, put on her earphones and pretend to listen to music, or just walk out of the room.

To think this was the same girl who would follow me into the bathroom, not wanting to let go of my hand!

My heart could handle this casual indifference by now, but I wasn't prepared for the big shock that she was about to come my way the summer before her 18th birthday.

"Mom, please don't plan a party for me this year. My friends already have some big plans…" Sally was fumbling her words, trying to tell me to back off in the gentlest way possible.

I knew this day would come. Someone wise had rightly said that you only get 18 birthdays with your child so make sure to cherish each one of them.

With my Sally, I was to only get 17. That night, I pulled out a dusty box of photographs and sat reliving beautiful family moments from the past that my husband had so lovingly captured.

"Baby, when you become a mother, you will understand."

At the end of the night, I went to my daughter's bedroom and cracked the door open. I missed kissing her goodnight.

I tiptoed towards her bed, only to be faced with the mess of clothes, books, and random things strewn across the floor.

I had an urge to clean the room. If I'm being completely honest, I knew she wouldn't appreciate it. It would, in fact, make her mad that I touched her things. But that night, I only saw her as my baby. And so I proceeded to tidy her room by the low light of the lamp on her nightstand.

The next morning I was woken up by a fuming teenager, ready to tell me off for interfering in her life once again. I stood there, hands crossed, watching the grown-up version of my cute little child fiercely express her anger toward me.

It was nothing I hadn't heard before.

"Mom, for the millionth time, stay out of my business! I'm not 6 anymore. I don't need you to clean up after me! What part of that do you not understand?"

Okay, it was getting a bit too aggressive this time…

"You always do this. You hover over me, asking me how my day was, asking me about the new boy in my class, lingering outside my high school even after you've dropped me off. It was embarrassing at first, but now it's just…suffocating, Mom!"

Sally's choice of words was always piercing, but this time, as she was pacing back and forth, breathing shallowly, she unleashed a lot of pent-up anger. I stood there, waiting for her to let it all out. But after a few minutes, Sally gave me a hard stare and stormed out.

Two nights later, things got worse. It was 9 p.m., and I saw Sally dressed in her hoodie, trying to walk out the door.

"Where do you think you are going, young lady?" I asked.

She told me she wanted to go out for a walk with "her friend, Lisa." There was no Lisa; I knew that by now. Lisa was code for that brown-eyed boy from her class, the one she was crushing on.

I wasn't trying to be overprotective, but it killed me that I didn't know anything about this boy who spent so much time with my precious child. I considered Sally's request, looked at the clock, and said no.

"Why do I have to fight you to go out for a walk with Lisa from school? Sure, it's a bit late, but who says the streets are closed for women after dark? And why do you always assume I can't take care of myself?"

"Baby, when you become a mother, you will understand," I calmly responded.

"There's that blanket answer," Sally shook her head. "The one statement that you use for justifying all your decisions. How convenient, Mom! If I had a dime for every time you've used that sentence on me, I'd probably have enough money to move out!"

"Say another word, and I'll see to it that you NEVER move out!" I snapped back.

I know, a little too harsh, especially for someone like me. But every time she spoke of moving out, a thousand fears gripped me, and I masked them with anger.

"You know what, Mom? I wish Dad was here to see you ruining my life like this. He would've rescued me from you!" Sally yelled, not realizing the impact of what she had said.

That was the last straw. I told her to go upstairs and locked her in her room. And I didn't stop there.

"I know you were about to see that boy. I'm going to do some digging and find out everything about that kid, believe me. Meanwhile, you are grounded. And you can ask your friends to forget about that camping trip they're planning for your birthday. Yes, I KNOW ABOUT THAT, TOO!"

I had every intention of following through on Sally's punishment, except for maybe the camping trip part. I know these friends of hers absolutely adored her, so I would probably let her go. That was going to be a big surprise…

Several days passed until the week before her 18th birthday. Sally and I still weren't back to talking normally. But before she left for her last day of school that morning, I felt like Sally had changed.

She made me breakfast, held my hand, and told me she loved me thrice before leaving.

I didn't think much of it, but I knew it was time to finally give her permission for that birthday trip. I thought she would be so happy!

But when I came back from work that day, excited to surprise my daughter, I found the house empty. Sally's room looked suspiciously clean. Cleaned out, rather. I opened the wardrobe and found myself staring at a bunch of empty hangers and a neatly folded note that was addressed to "Mom."

My beautiful baby had left! In her own words, she told me that she had had enough of my interfering. She told me she loved that boy and that I would never understand. "I'm going to marry him someday," she wrote. "And one day, I will show up at your doorstep with a loving husband and a baby. That day, you will see what a trusting mother looks like - one who doesn't constantly try to thwart her child's plans and dreams."

I was devastated. Every morning since my Sally left, I would wake up, sit by the window, and beat myself up in my thoughts until evening, worrying about where she would be, and whether she was safe and happy there.

It was on one such morning that I found her standing at my doorstep, with eyes that looked tired from crying. And what was it she was carrying so carefully? Two little baby girls!

Sally and I didn't speak a word, but she saw the surprise in my eyes and handed me the babies. I couldn't believe I was a grandmother already! Can you believe I didn't put my granddaughters down for six hours when I held them for the first time?

I was too hurt to show it, but I was happier to see my daughter than my grandchildren. It felt like I could finally exhale, seeing her alive and healthy.

That evening, my Sally told me everything she had been through since the day she left home.

"I really thought Chris was the one, Mom. We lived together for three months, and everything was dreamy. But then, when I told Chris about the pregnancy, he said he had to take an urgent trip to see his family. I spent 10 months waiting for him, Mom. I was so scared! But he never showed. And I had no idea how I was going to raise twins all by myself."

I could only imagine how scared my baby must have been, with babies of her own in her tummy, and nowhere to go except to the mother she had abandoned.

"There were so many days I wanted to take a train and run into your arms," Sally said. "I used to shudder every time I imagined the pain you must have felt when I left. And I thought you would be too angry to let me back in…"

She lay on the sofa, resting her head on my lap, and the stream of her tears trickling onto my clothes was endless.

After an hour of silence, Sally said to me, "I get it, now, Mom. That thing you used to say…'When you become a mother, you will understand,' I get it now."

She told me how she couldn't bear to leave her daughters alone even for a minute. And how she had already started worrying about which school to put them in, how much that would cost, and how she was going to prepare the sweet girls for the harshness of the world.

"You were right, Mom. Now that I am a mother myself, I do understand. And I don't know how you did it, raising a girl as rebellious and angry as me…"

"Don't worry, I'll help you learn the ropes," I said, playing with Sally's hair. "And if I don't, your daughters will end up teaching you themselves. Just by being in your life, they'll teach you how to be patient, how to be fearless, and how to love - just like you taught me, munchkin!"

What can we learn from this story?

• A mother's love knows no bounds. Sally's mother left no stone unturned in being there for her child - through her defining years and even years later when Sally needed her the most.
• Be kind to the mothers you know - they are doing the best they can. Ally did not agree with her mother's protective ways, but ultimately, she was in awe of how the woman raised a girl child in this scary world.

Share this story with your friends. It might brighten their day and inspire them.

If you enjoyed this story, you might like this one about a woman who struggled to be accepted by her rebellious stepchildren, until they find her crying in the most unexpected place.

This piece is inspired by stories from the everyday lives of our readers and written by a professional writer. Any resemblance to actual names or locations is purely coincidental. All images are for illustration purposes only. Share your story with us; maybe it will change someone's life. If you would like to share your story, please send it to info@amomama.com.