Customer Service Week always gives me pause. As someone who has built a career serving families, it’s easy to fall into the role of expert, guide, and teacher. But this week, I want to acknowledge a truth that becomes clearer over and over again.
My clients have taught me far more than I could ever teach them.
The Education I Never Expected
When I started this journey as a parent and teen coach, I had training, research, and a genuine desire to help families communicate better. What I didn’t have was the lived wisdom that only comes from walking alongside thousands of families through their darkest and brightest moments.
You taught me that parenting teenagers in a digital world requires a kind of courage that previous generations never needed. You’re not just raising kids; you’re raising them in an environment that’s constantly evolving, where the rulebook gets rewritten every few months, where threats and opportunities alike come through a device that fits in a pocket.
The Moments That Changed Me
There was the mom who texted me at midnight because her daughter had finally opened up about anxiety after three months of using the listening techniques we’d practiced. Her message simply said, “She talked to me. Really talked. Thank you.”
There was the dad who admitted in a workshop that he’d been afraid to set screen time boundaries because he didn’t want his son to hate him. Six months later, he sent me a photo of them fishing together, phones left in the car, with the caption, “Best conversation we’ve had in years.”
There was the teen who wrote me an email saying that her mom learning to ask questions instead of giving advice had changed everything. “I don’t feel like I’m constantly being fixed anymore,” she wrote. “I feel seen.”
These moments aren’t just success stories. They’re profound reminders that transformation happens when people are willing to be uncomfortable, vulnerable, and committed.
What You’ve Taught Me About Digital Wellness
When I first started speaking about digital wellness, I approached it with research and frameworks. You taught me it’s far more nuanced than that.
You showed me that banning devices creates rebellion, but collaborative boundaries create respect. You demonstrated that teens don’t want parents who understand every TikTok trend—they want parents who understand their emotional world. You proved that the real battle isn’t against technology; it’s for connection.
You’ve taught me that digital wellness isn’t about screen time minutes; it’s about teaching teens to recognize when technology serves them and when it doesn’t. It’s about modeling healthy boundaries ourselves. It’s about creating family cultures where face-to-face conversation is valued, protected, and practiced.
The Gift of Your Trust
There’s something sacred about being invited into a family’s struggle. When a parent shares that they feel like they’re losing their child to screens, or when a teen admits they don’t know how to talk to their parents anymore, they’re offering me their vulnerability.
I don’t take that lightly.
Every family I work with entrusts me with their story, their pain, and their hope. That trust has shaped how I show up not just as a coach with strategies, but as a fellow human who believes deeply in the possibility of repair and reconnection.
To My Clients, Past and Present
This Customer Service Week, I want you to know:
Your breakthroughs inspire my content. When I write a book, create a workshop, or share advice on social media, I’m drawing from the patterns I see in families who are doing the work. Your victories become roadmaps for others.
Your setbacks inform my approach. When strategies don’t work, when communication breaks down again, when progress feels impossible—these moments teach me to adapt, to dig deeper, to find new ways to serve you better.
Your feedback makes me better. Every time you tell me what worked, what didn’t, and what you wish I’d addressed differently, you’re helping me refine my craft. I’m not interested in being right—I’m interested in being useful.
Your humanity reminds me why I do this. On the hard days, when I wonder if anything I say makes a difference, I remember the emails, the tearful thank-yous after workshops, and the photos of parents and teens laughing together. You remind me that this work matters.
The Real Measure of Success
I’ve been blessed to receive awards, to see my books transform families, to speak on stages. But none of that compares to the quiet success stories that happen in living rooms and at dinner tables across the globe.
The real measure of my success isn’t in my achievements, it’s in yours.
It’s in the parent who pauses before reacting. It’s in the teen who feels safe enough to be honest. It’s in the family that navigates conflict without destroying connection. It’s in the small, daily choices to prioritize understanding over being understood.
Looking Forward
As I move forward in this work, I carry with me everything you’ve taught me. I promise to keep listening, learning, and evolving. I promise to stay curious about what families need, even as the challenges shift and change. I promise to honor your stories and to use them to light the way for others who are struggling.
And I promise to never forget that while I may have the credentials and the platform, you are the real experts. You’re the ones showing up every day, trying again after failures, and choosing connection even when it’s hard.
You’re the ones changing the world, one conversation at a time.
Thank you for allowing me to be part of your journey. Thank you for your trust, your vulnerability, and your commitment. Thank you for teaching me what it means to serve with purpose.
Here’s to you—the clients who became my teachers, my inspiration, and my reason for continuing this work.
With deep gratitude and respect,
Latifah Ajetunmobi.