The concept of tough love has been around a long time — and it’s been misunderstood and misused for just as long. The problems usually revolve around a person’s reason for using tough love and how they carry it out.
Here’s the truth: Tough love isn’t a formula or quick fix to the heartache you face. But it’s the right thing to do in some situations even if change doesn’t look exactly like you had hoped.
In part one of this series, we’ll briefly outline what tough love isn’t and what it is.
What tough love is not
When someone we love is harming themself or others, we have three choices:
• Give up, give in, stay quiet, and play the victim or martyr.
• Beg, nag, pester, and play the codependent manipulator.
• Draw a line in the sand with tough love.
Spoiler alert: The third option is the only healthy choice. However, to understand what makes tough love work — the good that it is — we must understand what tough love is not.
Tough love isn’t about your preferences. It’s not done out of punishment or revenge, and it’s not about manipulation or control. At the same time, tough love doesn’t deny the importance of boundaries. It’s not a one-size-fits-all solution, and it’s never easy.
What tough love is
Tough love is about safeguarding your own well-being while also considering the other person. Once you become confident, strong, and aware of your boundaries, needs, and responsibilities, you can courageously say to the other person, No, your behavior is not OK. It’s not OK to treat me (or others) this way.
Tough love is also about compassion. Critics of tough love often think that compassion means always turning the other cheek. Even people who are stuck in a harmful relationship can believe they show mercy by giving someone another chance (and another and another and another).
However, sincere love doesn’t overlook someone’s behavior. Rather, sincere love has compassion for someone’s brokenness and yet understands that enabling is not helping. Sincere love calls someone to higher behavior — to live their one life wisely in gratitude and service to their Creator.
Next month …
In part two of our series, we’ll talk about the importance of action-for-action in carrying out tough love and why accountability is critical.
NOTE: Similar concepts of tough love can be used with children and teens, but there are notable differences. If you have questions about how to help your child learn valuable lessons while preserving their dignity, start with our article Five Characteristics of Biblical Discipline. You can also listen online for free to our broadcasts Practical Advice for Parenting Strong-Willed Children and Navigating the Challenges Teens Face.
