I've been raising my daughter, Barbara, by myself since she was four. Her father left us without much of a second glance, and from that day forward, it's been the two of us against the world.

A man in a suit with a briefcase walking out of a house | Source: Midjourney

Over the years, we've built something solid, the kind of mother-daughter relationship filled with trust, laughter, and a few occasional disagreements. Our discussions were never out of this world, though. Now, at 16, she's finding herself.

Lately, things have changed slightly, and I have been worried. Barbara had started seeing a boy, Brad. I'd met him a few times.

Two teenagers smiling while walking on a school campus | Source: Midjourney

He was polite and well-mannered. The kind of boy who shakes hands and says, "Yes, ma'am." Everything should've been fine. But once they became boyfriend and girlfriend, Barbara became more secretive.

She started locking her door often, and one evening, she told me I wasn't allowed to clean her room anymore.

Closed bedroom door | Source: Pexels

"Mom, I'm 16," she said. I only went into her room to pick up her laundry basket while she was in the bathroom. But she was waiting in the doorway with her arms crossed on my way out. "I don't want you to come in whenever you want anymore. It's not a big deal. I just need some privacy."

I raised an eyebrow. "But I was just picking up your laundry, honey. I wasn't snooping."

Woman in her 30s holding a laundry basket while standing in a bedroom | Source: Midjourney

She sighed and smiled while walking around me and basically herding me out of her space. "Yeah, and I appreciate it, but I'm not a kid anymore. I'll start doing my own laundry or taking it to the laundry room myself. You trust me, right?"

"Oh… huh… of course! Sure," I nodded. She gave me a little wave and shut the door in my face.

This hit me hard as I walked to the laundry room. I should've been thrilled that she was finding independence. But it felt like I was losing my little girl. I guess all parents feel that way at one point or another.

Worried woman in her 30s standing in a laundry room | Source: Midjourney

I still felt uneasy about this sudden change. Why? What happened? Was it because of her new boyfriend? Was something going on?

I'd had a grown-up talk with her about relationships and other stuff when she told me about Brad. I believed I could trust her in that sense. But that nagging feeling stayed.

While walking past her room a few nights later, I overheard her on the phone. Her voice was low, almost shaky.

"Am I doing this right?" she whispered.

Doing what right?

Woman in her 30s looking worried while standing outside a closed door | Source: Midjourney

My hand hovered over her doorknob, but I knew it would be locked. So, I started imagining all kinds of scenarios. Yes, my mind went to the worst things a teenager or anyone could do in secret.

But I walked away and tried to forget it. The next day, I noticed she'd started locking her room even when she wasn't home. What was she hiding?

Around a week later, I dropped my daughter off at school and pretended to go to work. In reality, I'd taken the day off. And once I got back home, I couldn't resist anymore.

Teenage girl waving goodbye as she is dropped off at school | Source: Midjourney

I know how this sounds, and I'm not proud of it, but I had to know.

I used the spare key to unlock her door and stepped inside. Her room looked normal. Too normal, actually.

The bed was made, her desk was tidy, and even her laundry was in the hamper. I knew she would take it to the laundry room in a few days, as she'd promised.

Still, I began searching. I went through her desk drawers and wardrobe and even reached a new low and searched underneath dirty clothes.

Opened desk drawers | Source: Pexels

Nothing. Not a single thing seemed out of place.

I was about to leave when I remembered that in movies, they hide the incriminating stuff under the bed. So, I crouched down, peering into the shadows. That's when I saw a large bundle wrapped in a plastic bag.

My heart raced as I pulled it out. It was heavier than I expected. My hands trembled as I unwrapped the bag, half expecting something horrifying. But what I found… wasn't horrifying at all.

A plastic bag under a bed | Source: Midjourney

It was a partially knitted sweater. The stitches were uneven, and threads were sticking out everywhere, but right in the center, in big, clumsy letters, were the words:

"Best Mom in the World."

There was also a large wool ball and needles in the bag.

I was so shocked that I just sat back on my butt and stared. I had been so sure that something crazy was going on.

Woman in her 30s sitting on a bedroom floor holding a knitted sweater looking shocked | Source: Midjourney

But once the shock wore off, my eyes started stinging as the guilt hit me. All this time, I'd been imagining the worst of my daughter. My sweet, studious girl who had grown up to be so mature and caring despite being recklessly abandoned by her father. The person I knew as my best friend in the world.

I'd invaded her privacy and broken her trust, all because I couldn't handle a locked door. And here she was, secretly learning to knit a gift for me as my birthday was in a couple of weeks.

Teenager sitting on the edge of a bed while knitting | Source: Midjourney

I carefully rewrapped the sweater and her materials, making sure it looked as it did before, and slid it back under the bed. Then, I locked her door behind me and spent the rest of the day in a haze of shame and self-recrimination.

What kind of mother was I?

For the next two weeks, I acted as normally as I could. I tried not to hover, though it was hard. Every time I saw Barbara, guilt gnawed at me. Did she know I'd been in her room? Was she just pretending everything was fine? The weight of it all was almost unbearable.

A woman in her 30s looks guilty standing in the living room with her teenage daughter in the background | Source: Midjourney

Finally, my birthday rolled around. Barbara woke up early and burst into the kitchen, her face glowing with excitement. In her hands was the sweater, now finished. It was still clumsy, the stitches loose in some places and tight in others, but it was perfect to me.

"Happy birthday, Mom!" she said, holding it out like it was the greatest treasure in the world. It was actually. "I made it for you."

I stared at her, my throat tightening. I wanted to cry, to laugh, to apologize all at once. "You made this?" I managed to say.

Woman in her 30s looking shocked in a kitchen | Source: Midjourney

She nodded, beaming. "I've been learning to knit from Brad's sister. She's been teaching me over FaceTime." She paused, a slight blush creeping up her cheeks. "To be honest, Mom, that's why I asked you not to barge into my room and started locking my door. I wanted it to be a surprise."

That's when I couldn't hold it in anymore. The tears came, and I pulled her into a hug, the sweater squished between us. "Barbara, it's beautiful. It's the best gift I've ever gotten. But I need to tell you something."

Woman in her 30s hugging her 16-year-old daughter in the kitchen | Source: Midjourney

She pulled back, her smile fading. "You don't like it? I know it's a little rough, but I'll get better and give you a better one for Christmas."

I shook my head and took a deep breath. "No, honey. It's not that. I love it. It's the best present I could've gotten. But I was so worried about you wanting to be locked up that I went into your room weeks ago when you were at school."

Her eyes widened. "What? Why?"

Teenage girl looking surprised in the kitchen | Source: Midjourney

"Because I overheard you on the phone, and you sounded so strange. I thought… I thought maybe something was wrong. But I found the sweater. I'm sorry, Barbara. I shouldn't have snooped."

She stared at me, her expression unreadable. Then she sighed and grinned sheepishly. "Mom, I get it. You're always worrying about me. But you have to trust me, okay? I'm not hiding anything bad. I just wanted to do something special for you."

"I know," I said, swallowing thickly, and pulled the spare key out of my pocket, handing it to her. "That's why I'm giving this to you. I'll never go into your room again without your permission. I promise."

Woman holding a key | Source: Unsplash

She hesitated, then took the key. "Thanks, Mom. But let's just keep this with all the other keys. You know… for emergencies."

I nodded and hugged her again. That day, we went out together and had the best time. Of course, I was wearing my sweater!

Although I always worried about her, I knew Barbara was growing into a beautiful person. I had to let her fly.

More than that, I had to trust her, as it was the only way to be the kind of mother my daughter could always rely on, the person I wanted to be.

A woman in her 30s and her daughter smile as they walk through a mall | Source: Midjourney

Here's

another story

: It was supposed to be the happiest day of my life. And it was. But it wasn't the vows or the celebrations that made it unforgettable. What Jake's 8-year-old daughter did at the reception left everyone stunned into silence.

This work is inspired by real events and people, but it has been fictionalized for creative purposes. Names, characters, and details have been changed to protect privacy and enhance the narrative. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental and not intended by the author.

The author and publisher make no claims to the accuracy of events or the portrayal of characters and are not liable for any misinterpretation. This story is provided "as is," and any opinions expressed are those of the characters and do not reflect the views of the author or publisher.