You can love your parents, appreciate everything they’ve done for you, want the best for them, and still say ‘no’ to some things they ask of you. Setting boundaries with anyone you love is a healthy part of any relationship, and no one should be scared to do it.

The daughter in the story below is facing this exact issue. She loves her dad and wants to help him, but their relationship has reached a point where a boundary must be set. Five months ago, her dad asked her to stay in her basement for two weeks during a difficult time for him, until he could get back on his feet. Since then, two weeks turned into a month, and a month into five, and before the daughter knew it, her dad became a permanent tenant in her basement.

Not only is he costing her a lot of money in bills and groceries, but he is also a terrible tenant who never cleans up after himself, always invites friends over, and takes in stray cats without asking. So eventually, the daughter was bound to break…