Thank God for the teacher who pushed you. Tough love is still love.

The adult who refused your easier version was doing something friendlier treatment could not. It did not feel like care at the time, because care gets pictured as comfort. Being expected to do better is one of the more respectful things a person can do to you, and the ones who bothered are worth thanking God for. Pressure without affection is a different thing, and you can usually tell which one you got.

Think of the teacher, coach, or boss who made you do it again. Tell them, even years later, because they almost never hear it. Then ask whose standard for you is currently too low.