When your child or boyfriend starts doing things you don't like, you can stop loving them without the scorn of your neighbors and congregation. It's called tough love. Tough love is all about the long run, which means in the short run you can cut the person out of your life entirely and even sue them for damages.
Tough love is different from just being heartless because it allows you to act heartlessly while still looking like a good person. It also happens suddenly, so you don't have to set the stage with weeks of the cold shoulder or withholding sex.
