You have to love your children unselfishly. That is hard. But it is the only way.

Barbara Bush’s remark distills a demanding ideal of parenthood: genuine love for one’s children requires putting the child’s needs, growth, and autonomy ahead of the parent’s ego, fears, or desire for control. Calling it “hard” acknowledges the emotional difficulty of letting children make choices, fail, or diverge from parental expectations. The final sentence—“the only way”—frames unselfish love not as a sentimental option but as an ethical necessity, suggesting that possessive or self-serving affection ultimately harms both parent and child. The quote’s force lies in its plain, unsparing tone: it treats parental love as a practiced discipline rather than a feeling alone.