Once they recover from the shock of realizing their adult children have become estranged, many parents are quick to apologize in order to make things right.

While the desire to make amends usually comes from a good place, early apologies can miss the mark.

Before you consider apologizing to an estranged adult child, first ask yourself whether an apology is necessary.

In many cases, an apology would be very much appreciated. But for others, it's not important.

If you know an apology is in order, it may mean more to get it right than to do it soon.

In this workshop-style episode, Tina describes an exercise to do before you sit down to write to your child, and gives you 5 reasons why doing this first makes sense.

For more tips and tools, check out Tina's book, Reconnecting With Your Estranged Adult Child.