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 we don’t usually admit. Not to our friends. Not to our family. Sometimes, not even to ourselves.

But if you’re raising a struggling teen, you know how heavy life can become.

Your mind is almost always on your child. You’re thinking about them while you’re working, having dinner with your family, or lying in bed at night hoping tomorrow will be just a little bit different.

Then something else happens.

Another phone call from school. Another broken promise. Another difficult moment, or simply one more hard day after months of hard days.

And suddenly you find yourself thinking:

“I just don’t like you right now.”

Then the guilt arrives.

In this episode of Empower My Teen, I want to talk openly about that guilt and the shame that can follow it.

Because I don’t believe having these thoughts means you’ve stopped loving your child.

In fact, I think the shame often shows up because you care so deeply.

I believe you can love your teen with every part of your heart and still have moments when you don’t like who they are in that moment. Those two feelings can exist at the same time, and having them doesn’t make you a bad parent.

In this episode, I’ll talk about:

• Why difficult thoughts can surface when parenting becomes overwhelming
• The guilt and shame we can experience when we feel frustrated with our children
• The difference between loving your teen and liking their behavior in a difficult moment
• Why having these feelings does not mean you’ve failed as a parent
• Giving yourself grace during some of the hardest seasons of parenting
• Why one difficult thought cannot erase years of loving and caring for your child

If you’ve been quietly carrying these feelings and wondering what they say about you as a parent, I hope you’ll listen.

I want you to hear this:

One guilty thought doesn’t get to define years of loving your child.

Give yourself a little grace. Hang in there. Keep breathing.

And remember, you are not alone.

Need Support?

If your teen is struggling and you’re unsure what to do next, I invite you to visit EmpowerMyTeen.com and schedule a complimentary consultation so we can talk about your situation and explore possible options for your teen and family.

Support. Connection. Encouragement. Hope.

You are not alone.

Connect with Mary Warren at https://empowermyteen.com