Have you ever looked at your child and thought, “I love you, but I don’t like you very much right now”, and then immediately felt guilty for even thinking it?
It’s one of those thoughts parents rarely say out loud. But when you’re raising a struggling teen, there may be times when everything you’ve been carrying becomes incredibly heavy.
In this episode of Empower My Teen, I talk openly about the complicated emotions that can come with parenting a teen who is struggling.
Maybe it’s another phone call from school. Another broken promise. Or maybe it’s just one more hard day after months of hard days.
And somewhere in the middle of all of it, you find yourself thinking:
“I just don’t like you right now.”
Then the guilt shows up.
Almost immediately.
But having that thought doesn’t mean you’ve stopped loving your child, and it doesn’t make you a bad parent.
We talk about the guilt and shame that can follow these feelings and why parents often have such a difficult time believing that two things can be true at the same time:
You can love your teen with your whole heart and still have moments when you don’t like them very much.
In this episode, you’ll hear about:
- Why these feelings can surface after carrying so much for so long
- The guilt and shame that can follow thoughts parents are afraid to admit
- Why loving your child and liking them in a difficult season are not the same thing
- Why these feelings don’t erase the love that has always been there
- How two seemingly conflicting feelings can exist at the same time
If you’ve quietly carried these feelings and wondered what they say about you as a parent, this conversation is for you
Sometimes parenting a struggling teen brings thoughts and feelings we never imagined we would have.
Talking about them doesn’t make the love any less real.
Need Support?
If your teen is struggling and you’re unsure what to do next, schedule a complimentary consultation with me and talk about your family’s situation.
Connect with Mary Warren at https://empowermyteen.com
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