Most parents love their teens deeply. That is not the problem. The problem is that love, when mixed with fear, often comes out as pressure. We remind. We check. We plan. We compare. We say we are “just trying to help.” And our teenager hears: *You’re not doing enough. I don’t trust you. Your future is my anxiety.* This is where presence and attunement matter. Love is the heart. Attunement is the skill. Love is the deep care we feel for our children. It is the bond, the inte