“I am not your friend.” Imagine the feeling. You’re a teenager. A sensitive and well-behaved one at that, and the person you love and look up to more than anyone else in the world tells you this. “I’m your mum,” she continued. “And I’m going to tell you things you don’t want to hear; things your friends won’t say to you. Because I love you.”
My mum was right. Sometimes, parents have to do or say things their children don’t want to hear, things that might upset them or make them angry. It’s done not to hurt them, but to keep them safe, to equip them for life, and to help them flourish.
