I can deny it all I want but the frightening fact is that one day my four children will be teenagers.

She won’t have to go through what I have been through for the very reason that I have already been through it. I have survived it and come out the other side.

I’m entering unchartered waters, and for the first time I won’t be able to think back of my own mom and what she did for me when I was his age.

This month, my family and I are taking an epic journey—in an RV. We’ll put ourselves and our kids – who aren’t exactly clamoring to spend more time with us – and a limited amount of belongings inside a 25-foot vehicle for the next four weeks.

That moment when you tell a child YOU ARE NOT ALONE, and in doing so, realize that you are not alone.

“OK, Mom. I trust you. We can do this.”

Who you are and the qualities you possess will take anywhere you want to go.

“I hope by the time I’m your age I have found my confidence.”

In a way, these gestures imply that the crying needs to hurry up and stop. What happens when this is communicated to kids and teens when they cry?

I am still madly in love with my daughter. I know she still loves me, too. But that isn’t enough to make her want to live with me.