Grabbing your phone in the middle of the night and googling “Why does my kid hate me?” is an experience that I think all parents of sensitive kids and teens have.

You knew that you would sign up for sleepless nights when your kid was an infant.

But now, you lie awake and ponder questions you never prepared for.

Why does my kid hate me?

Why does my kid hide things from me?

How do I get my kid to tell me what’s wrong?

And the worst part about googling these questions is that you never find answers.

The internet, which can tell you almost anything, cannot tell you about your kid.

You know your kid.

So why can’t you figure out the answer to this one?

There are plenty of reasons why, but to give you the jist:

You’re hurt. 

Your feelings are hurt because you are a human, not just a parent.

And you are having trouble sorting through your own feelings to see what is really going on here.

That doesn’t make you a selfish person, or a bad parent.

It...