Dr. Tara Egan, host and child & adolescent therapist
Anna, teen cohost
Lori Epting, guest speaker, marriage therapist & author of  "From Chaos to Connection: A Marriage Counselor's Candid Guide for the Modern Couple"

In today's episode, our guest Lori Epting shares some suggestions with us on how busy parents can manage their relationship, while managing all the tasks that are related to being a parent.

Although Lori works with all types of couples, what she found is that there was a big uptick of parents of school age children or younger coming into her office seeking support. She kept hearing the same type of scenarios over and over from these parents that had become at odds  with each other.

It is important for parents to begin by realizing  that this time in life is hard, there is nothing wrong with you and it is absolutely normal to be struggling. But there is a way through it!

Lori encourages parents to believe  - the problem is not you or me, it’s just we are trying to do a lot in a little bit of time with a lot of moving parts - and it’s going to get frustrating! 

This relieves a lot of pressure and blame. You don't want to turn away from each other. You want to learn how to feel the stress and frustration, but come together and experience the relationship as a place of support and partnership.

We discuss:
- That social media often portrays  wonderful lives and perfect families, and makes some couples  feel that something is wrong in their relationship because their family doesn't look that way at all. 

- How important it is to communicate your hurts, your feelings and what you need from your partner.  Sharing in a way that draws them in instead of shutting down or getting defensive. It's ok to have needs and it is important to share them with partner. 

- That criticizing your partner can really put a strain on a relationship and make the other partner feel that they are not good enough, it is a really dangerous place. Lori shares how to best communicate your criticism with your partner. 

- Advice for someone that is not getting their needs met after sharing it with their partner  multiple times. We can decipher whether it is something that just "drives me nuts" or an indicator that my partner doesn't care. 

Tara shares numerous examples from her own relationship and Anna feels that the discussion around couples arguing and communicating kind of sounds like her and her brother. It goes to show that these relationship skills can help with any type of relationship.

Get Lori's book  "From Chaos to Connection: A Marriage Counselor's Candid Guide for the Modern Couple" HERE
Learn more about Lori's services RIGHT HERE.

Learn more about Dr. Tara Egan's therapy services RIGHT HERE.

Learn more about Dr. Tara Egan's books, webinars, public speaking opportunities, and coaching/consultation services RIGHT HERE.

Register for our FREE weekly parenting webinar series RIGHT HERE. We discuss a myriad of parenting topics each week, and registrants can watch LIVE or get the recording emailed to you.

Finally, join our private FB group for parents of high school students RIGHT HERE.

This podcast episode is edited by Laura Bauder of PodcastHERs.