You look into those eyes and there you are,
A familiar fire, a miniature star!
The same stubborn silence, the same fierce reply,
The same burning need to ask why, why, WHY?
You say, “Because I said so!” They say, “But why?”
You tighten your rules; they refuse to comply.
You demand some respect, they demand to be heard,
And suddenly parenting becomes a battlefield of words!
Is this your child, or your younger self returned?
A mirror of lessons you thought you had learned?
The temper you buried, the will you restrained,
The freedom you wanted but never obtained?
Mars brings the fire, the impulse to fight,
Saturn brings the rules: “You must get this right!”
One wants obedience, the other control,
While both may be struggling to understand a small soul.
You want them protected, disciplined, strong,
But when they resist, does it feel like they’re wrong?
Does their little rebellion awaken your fear,
That without your control, everything disappears?
And then comes the moment you dread in the night:
“Am I raising my child—or just trying to win the fight?”
Have you confused being respected with being obeyed?
Have you punished the courage that you once wished you’d displayed?
Oh, the exhaustion! The guilt and the pain!
You promise yourself you won’t do it again.
Then one little argument, one defiant stare,
And suddenly you’re the child who felt nobody cared.
But wait! Your child is not your enemy,
And their independence is not disloyalty!
They can challenge your limits without rejecting your love,
They can question your rules and still need you enough.
You don’t have to surrender your boundaries or pride’,
You can guide without crushing the fire inside’.
Discipline can teach without turning to war,
And respect grows deeper when fear isn’t the law’.
Perhaps reconciliation begins with one phrase:
“I was too harsh. Let’s find better ways.”
You can apologise without losing your ground,
And show them that strength means repairing what’s found.
One day, they’ll remember the lessons you gave,
But will they remember feeling safe to be brave?
When they look back on the battles you’ve won,
Will they see a commander—or a parent who helped them become?
And when you see your own childhood in their eyes,
Will you repeat the old rules—or let something new rise?
Are you raising a child to become their own person,
Or fighting the younger you who still needs some healing?
Leave a Reply