think that’s why I need her in my life, to check me when I’m trippin’

times when tough love was hard to hear but made me a better person

“stop making excuses and just apologize”

“no one gives a fuck if you have pimples”

“you’re going to have braces for a year and look kinda shitty but then you’re going to look great, so get a hold of yourself and stop crying”

“she’s not going to stick around if you keep acting so selfish”

“as the people who have to pick you up when you get yourself into this shit, we’re not going to support you in this”

“and maybe he found them attractive, so what?”

“my mom drove away my dad by restricting his freedom, and that’s what you’re going to do to him”

“it’s not normal for me to feel bad when I talk to other girls”

“he hates you.”

“he hates you because you had sex with his best friend”

“your marks don’t determine your worth as a person, they reflect how much you studied, that’s it”***

**DISCLAIMER ** these are not exact quotes from the people who said them, they are paraphrased. The lesson is still the same.

I understand some (all) of these may not seem like tough love but imagine being a teenage girl and hysterically crying in all of these situations. As we grow older there’s less time for bullshit and whining and you usually get hit with the unwanted truth.

To this day, I appreciate all of those moments. They remind you that you’re a shitty person sometimes, which brings you back to reality and forces you to grow up. You don’t need someone to hug you while you cry, you need someone to tell you to stop crying and that: a. you’re being dramatic, b. you were a bitch and deserved that, c. you didn't work hard enough or d. you’re being outrageous. I recommend to all humans out there to stop lying to your friends/significant other/family to prevent pain and tell them what needs to be heard.

*** I know this doesn't seem like tough love but being the emotional person I am, I was crying over a low final mark, for a very long time, and this was hard to hear at the time.