I was talking to a friend yesterday who‘s going through a hard time with her child.

“What’s your opinion?” she asked, after talking to me a little about what she’s going through.

I paused as I saw her wipe her wet face with her fingers.

And here's the thing, I used to throw around my opinion left and right. I'd been through the hard, overcame stuff, and experienced similar situations. So yes, I thought I could be helpful.

And then I became a mom and realized something. It’s easy to judge when you’re not a mom. The person struggling is not your child, and you’re not in the situation.

Because a mom who’s in the thick of a hard situation knows her kid best. Yes, she should contact a professional on the subject to guide her, but outside of that, she needs to listen to her gut.

“I don’t think my opinion matters. You’re the parent, and you know your kid best. All I can give you is my empathy because what you're going through is hard, and you have that. And whatever you decide, I’ll support you.” I finally answered.

Because she didn’t need my opinion, she just needed a friend.

And I could tell those words mattered and were more helpful than any advice I could have given.

This post originally appeared on the author's Facebook. Her book "Living FULL: Winning My Battle with Eating Disorder" is available on Amazon: https://amzn.to/2O4mJId