09/02/2025
This. ❤️
I just started my 12th year of teaching and coaching, and I can't even count how many times a student has opened up to me and, when I ask, "Have you talked to your parents about this?" … the answer is often, "I can't."
“They wouldn’t understand.”
“They’d be mad.”
“I’d get in trouble.”
As a mom, that hits hard. Because yes, sometimes what they’re sharing isn’t what a parent wants to hear, but it’s exactly when their child needs to be heard most.
In those moments, children don’t need judgment. They need a safe space. They need to hear, "Thank you for telling me." They need to know that while there may still be consequences, they will still be loved, supported, and guided; not shut down or pushed away.
Nothing any student has told me would ever make me stop caring about them. And as a parent, nothing my own children could say would ever make me stop loving them.
Please, let’s make sure our children know:
“You can tell me anything.”
“I may not always agree, but I will always listen.”
“I’m here, no matter what.”
Because in today’s world, they need a safe space to land. And for my children, I want that place to be me!
