Another Hollywood tragedy hit us last week when Carrie Fisher, who played the beloved Princess Leia in the iconic Star Wars franchise, passed away on December 27. The next day tragedy struck again when Fisher’s mother, Debbie Reynolds, the classic Hollywood starlet from Singin’ in the Rain, also passed away.

And today, they were laid to rest together.

In the wake of this sad news, I’ve seen many reporting on the well-documented complicated mother-daughter relationship that Debbie and Carrie had. Growing up in the shadow of her parents’ spotlight drove Carrie to drinking and drugs at an early age, and she would go on to survive much-publicized bouts with addiction and mental illness in the years to come. She spent many years of her life trying to recover, and even became estranged from her mother, refusing to speak to her for almost a decade.

I’m sure Debbie spent many nights up late worrying about her daughter. We mothers know the old adage is true: “We are only as happy as our least happy child.” But no matter how turbulent their relationships may have gotten, I believe there is a lesson for parents woven into all those difficult years.

There's a lesson…