When my teenage granddaughter came to stay, I noticed she was more withdrawn than usual, absorbed in her phone. One day, while she was away, I saw a message on her phone that made my heart sink: she was planning to spend her $23,000 inheritance on multiple cosmetic surgeries. Shocked and heartbroken, I confronted her.

She confessed her deep insecurities, feeling flawed compared to others and believing that these surgeries would make her happier. I tried to reassure her, telling her she was beautiful just as she was, but she insisted that changing her appearance was what she wanted.

Realizing I couldn’t convince her otherwise, I took a drastic step. I rewrote my will, stipulating that she couldn’t access the money until she was older, hoping she would mature and make better decisions with time. It was a painful choice, but I did it out of love, wanting to protect her from making a mistake she might regret.

For days, I was consumed with worry, praying she would one day understand why I did this. All I could do was wait and hope that she would eventually see the beauty in herself that I had always seen. Until then, I had to trust that I had made the right decision, even if it meant causing her temporary pain.