Your boundaries reveal who respected you and who merely enjoyed unrestricted access.

Nothing surfaces the truth about a relationship faster than a limit. People who valued you adjust, sometimes awkwardly, and stay. People who valued the access react to losing it, and the reaction tells you what the arrangement actually was. The information is uncomfortable and accurate.

When you set a boundary, watch what happens rather than defending it. The responses are data you could not have gotten any other way, and they will sort your relationships more honestly than years of wondering.