CALLING HOME with Whitney Goodman, LMFT

Whitney talks with Brady Nathan, a mother who shares the story of her late son Jack. Jack started the Happy Jack World Project to help other kids struggling with mental health issues before his untimely death due to a fentanyl-laced Percocet. Brady discusses the importance of listening to children when they express unhappiness, even if their lives seem perfect from an outside perspective. She also emphasizes the need for parents to allow their children to lead their own lives, rather than imposing their own expectations. Brady continues to run the Happy Jack World Project, which has donated over $100,000 to various foundations, and advocates for greater awareness of the dangers of fentanyl and recreational drug use.

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In this episode, let's get into the complexities of family dynamics, particularly when two families merge through a relationship or marriage. Understanding and accepting differences in family systems, communication styles, and cultural backgrounds are all key for success ... but not always easy. A good reminder to distinguish between differences that are merely annoying and those that are problematic or dangerous.

Listener questions this episode include navigating relationships with religious family members after losing faith, and another about reconciling with the idea that parents did their best with the tools they had, even when it feels like they could have done more.

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Whitney discusses the issue of 'sharenting' or oversharing children's lives on social media with guest Sarah Adams. Sarah is a mother of two, and she argues that this practice can be a form of child exploitation, as it often involves sharing children's experiences with a large and potentially dangerous audience for entertainment purposes. She wants parents to reconsider the impact this could have on their children's future and their right to privacy.

Sarah also discusses the different categories of parents who overshare, including new parents, 'medical mamas' who share their children's medical information, and those who seek online popularity. She advises parents to reflect on their sharing practices and to treat their children as autonomous human beings rather than props for content.

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In this episode of Calling Home, Whitney discusses the impact of parent-child relationships in the context of substance abuse. She shares a story about a young man who was introduced to drugs by his mother at the age of 12, highlighting the long-term effects of such experiences. Whitney emphasizes the importance of understanding the needs that children are trying to communicate through their actions and decisions.

She also answers listener questions about feeling abandoned by a parent and how to reconnect with estranged adult children. Whitney advises patience, understanding, and willingness to hear and respect the perspectives of the children in these situations.

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Psychologist and author Josh Coleman joins Whitney to talk through navigating difficult relationships between parents and their adult children. Dr. Coleman emphasizes the importance of parents being willing to engage in open, non-defensive conversations with their adult children to rebuild connections. He also discusses the cultural shift in family dynamics over the past half-century, with younger generations placing more emphasis on mental health, happiness, and personal growth.

Whitney and Dr. Coleman agree that both parents and adult children have a role to play in repairing relationships, but ultimately, the responsibility lies with the parents. They also discuss the impact of high expectations on parent-child relationships, with Dr. Coleman suggesting that parenting only plays a small part in how individuals turn out, with genetics, social class, and other factors playing a larger role.

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Whitney talks with Eve Rodsky, creator of a system designed to balance the domestic workload in homes.

Eve's system, Fair Play, is based on the idea of treating homes as important organizations, with clearly defined expectations and roles for each member. The system is built on three key principles: boundaries, systems, and communication.

Eve emphasizes the importance of each person owning their tasks, from conception to execution, to ensure efficiency and accountability. She also highlights the need for women to value their time as much as men do, and for men to be active participants in domestic life. She believes that for women to fully step into their power outside the home, men must be invited into their full power within the home.

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Whitney talks about accountability in parent-child relationships:

• children should not be held accountable for their actions in the same way as adults
• there is a power differential between parents and children which continues into adulthood
• parents need to to consider how their actions would have felt to their child at the time

And Whitney's first questions from her voicemail (866-CALL HOME):

• dealing with anxiety over running into estranged family members
• supporting a spouse who is hesitant to reconcile with their parents

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The CALLING HOME podcast is LIVE. What you can expect, who Whitney's guests will be, and how YOU can get involved. (Hint: 866-CALL-HOME)

THANK YOU for being here.

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I'm Whitney Goodman. I'm a licensed marriage and family therapist, and you may know me from the Instagram account, SitWithWhit. I help adults have better family relationships.

Season one of this podcast is going to be a combination of Q & A episodes, where I talk about what I'm noticing in my sessions, what I'm seeing online, and expanding on some of my most popular social media content. 

I'll also take questions from you at 866-225-5466.

My goal is to help you feel less alone.

I'm also doing a series of interviews with experts, authors, people in the field, and 'regular' people that I've seen on TikTok who are sharing valuable information in the space of family relationships. My first guests include Eve Rodsky, Elizabeth Earnshaw, and Leslie Priscilla.

I am so excited to dive into this season with you. 

Welcome to The Calling Home podcast. I'm glad you're here.

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