Parenting Through The Hard

After last week's episode about learning to stop fixing and rescuing our kids, I realized there was something I left out: What am I trying to do instead?

In this short bonus episode, I'm sharing what letting go and breaking codependent parenting patterns looks like for me in real time. I talk about the urge to give advice, solve the problem, manage my child's emotions, or step in when they're struggling, and the uncomfortable work of learning to pause instead.

For parents of teens and adult children who struggle with overfunctioning, boundaries, codependency, or feeling responsible for their child's happiness, this is an honest look at learning to stay connected without taking over.

I'm learning that being trusted with someone's pain isn't the same as being handed responsibility for it. Sometimes stepping back gives our kids the chance to show us what they're capable of and gives us the chance to discover that maybe we don't have to carry quite as much as we thought we did.

When our teens or adult children are struggling, uncertain, or making choices we cannot control, the pressure to step in and do something can feel overwhelming. We may call it love or parental responsibility, but sometimes it is anxiety urging us to fix, rescue, or force a conversation before the time is right.

In this episode of Parenting Through the Hard, I explore what it means to pause instead of react, wait without abandoning our children, and recognize when fear is setting the pace of our parenting. I reflect on the difference between wise waiting and avoidance, the discomfort of letting go of control, and why staying present without interfering may be one of the hardest and most loving things we do as parents.

If you’d like to partner with Parenting Through the Hard, you can sponsor an upcoming episode by visiting:

https://parentingthroughthehard.com/events-donations/

I thought I would feel better once things got better with my children. Once the crisis passed, their choices became steadier, and life felt more hopeful, I believed I would finally be able to exhale.

But even when things did grow quieter, the peace I had been waiting for didn’t come. Instead, I found myself still scanning, bracing, and wondering what might happen next.

In this episode, I explore the uncomfortable realization that I wasn’t simply hoping for my children’s stability. I had begun depending on it to create stability inside of me. I reflect on the difference between caring deeply and becoming internally tied to every shift in our children’s lives, and why a nervous system shaped by uncertainty may struggle to rest even when there is no immediate crisis.

I’m beginning to ask a different question: What would it look like for me to be okay, even while their lives are still unfolding?

This is an honest conversation about learning to notice what is happening inside of us, sit with what remains unresolved, and experience peace before everything gets figured out.

If you'd like to partner with you you can sponsor an upcoming episode by visiting https://parentingthroughthehard.com/events-donations/

What does it look like to stay deeply connected to your teen or adult child while also learning to let go of the responsibility to manage their life?

In this episode of Parenting Through the Hard, I sit down with author, motherhood coach, and spiritual director Esther Goetz to talk about one of the hardest shifts parents face as their children grow up.

Together, we explore the difference between being responsible to our children and feeling responsible for them, why so many parents slip into overfunctioning, and how stepping back can actually strengthen the relationship we have with our kids.

If you’ve ever found yourself fixing, rescuing, or carrying the weight of your child’s choices, this conversation will help you rethink what healthy love and boundaries can look like in this stage of parenting.

Because sometimes the most mature form of love is learning how to stay connected while letting go.

You can connect with Esther Goetz and learn more about her work with moms of teens and adult children at estherjoygoetz.com/momsofbigs

In this episode, I name something that’s been quietly surfacing beneath my emotions lately. The pressure to disappear in order to be loving, faithful, or helpful.

This conversation isn’t about addiction, recovery, or outcomes. It’s about fatigue, resentment, and what can happen when caring deeply turns into self abandonment, especially in long seasons of responsibility.

I reflect on the fear of getting it right, the exhaustion no one prepares you for, and a midlife reorientation that’s reshaping how I carry love, including learning to speak honestly instead of shutting down.

This episode also marks the close of Season Three of Parenting Through the Hard.

As I take a short break between seasons, I’m offering a six-week guided group experience for parents. It’s a small, supportive space to slow down, reflect, journal, and share with others who understand. It’s not therapy. It’s about not carrying everything alone.

If you’ve ever loved deeply and wondered where you went in the process, this episode is for you.

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If you’d like to partner with us and support the podcast, consider sponsoring an upcoming episode by making a donation of any size to Parenting Through the Hard [by clicking here].

Your support keeps this podcast running — and goes directly toward production costs and continuing this mission.

For more resources and hope-filled tools, visit parentingthroughthehard.com

Disclaimer: The thoughts shared here come from my own parenting and faith journey. Please remember this podcast is not a replacement for professional counseling or medical guidance.

What do you do when the relationship with your teen or adult child feels strained, when there is tension, distance, or an ache you cannot quite explain?

In this episode of Parenting Through the Hard, I share a deeply personal reflection on what happens when connection feels stretched thin. I talk about how attachment patterns, generational wiring, anxiety, over involvement, and withdrawal can quietly shape the way we respond to our kids, especially when their choices feel hard or scary.

If you have ever felt disconnected from your child, struggled between control and compassion, or wondered how to stay present without losing your peace, this conversation is for you. This is not about fixing our kids. It is about doing our own inner work so we can rebuild connection with humility, steadiness, and hope.

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If you’d like to partner with us, consider sponsoring an upcoming episode by making a donation of any size to Parenting Through the Hard [by clicking here].

Your support keeps this podcast running — and goes directly toward production costs and continuing this mission.

For more resources and hope-filled tools, visit parentingthroughthehard.com

Disclaimer: The thoughts shared here come from my own parenting and faith journey. Please remember this podcast is not a replacement for professional counseling or medical guidance.

Have you ever found yourself thinking, “I wonder if they’ll ever understand what this was like for me?”

In this episode, I talk about a quiet ache many parents of adult children carry.. the longing to be acknowledged for what it cost to love them through addiction, rebellion, mental health struggles, or long seasons of distance.

Why does it hurt when your child doesn’t say thank you? Why does appreciation feel so important? And is there a way to let go of needing that acknowledgment without hardening our hearts?

I explore identity, boundaries, generational love, and what it means to believe you mattered even if your child never fully articulates it.

If you’re parenting teens or adult children and sometimes feel unseen in your story, this conversation is for you.

If you’d like to partner with us and support the podcast, consider sponsoring an upcoming episode by making a donation of any size to Parenting Through the Hard [by clicking here].

Your support keeps this podcast running — and goes directly toward production costs and continuing this mission.

For more resources and hope-filled tools, visit parentingthroughthehard.com

Disclaimer: The thoughts shared here come from my own parenting and faith journey. Please remember this podcast is not a replacement for professional counseling or medical guidance.

What happens when your identity has been shaped by being the steady one — and recovery changes your role?

In this episode, I talk about codependency in parenting, identity detox, and the grief and anxiety that surface when your child begins to stabilize. We explore how over-functioning can hide inside love — and how stepping back creates space for healthier connection.

If you’ve ever wondered who you are without crisis to manage, this conversation is for you.

If you’d like to partner with us and support the podcast, consider sponsoring an upcoming episode by making a donation of any size to Parenting Through the Hard [by clicking here].

Your support keeps this podcast running — and goes directly toward production costs and continuing this mission.

For more resources and hope-filled tools, visit parentingthroughthehard.com

Disclaimer: The thoughts shared here come from my own parenting and faith journey. Please remember this podcast is not a replacement for professional counseling or medical guidance.

If you’re the parent of a teen or adult child who is struggling, this episode is for you.

I’m talking about what it's like to stay calm when your child’s life feels unstable. How to stop reacting, regulate your emotions, and let go without giving up.

When the setback happens or the hard conversation catches you off guard, it’s easy to match their anxiety. I share what I’m learning about emotional regulation, steady hope, and how to love without trying to control the outcome.

You can’t control the tide. But you can choose how you stand on the shore.

If you’d like to partner with us and support the podcast, consider sponsoring an upcoming episode by making a donation of any size to Parenting Through the Hard [by clicking here].

Your support keeps this podcast running — and goes directly toward production costs and continuing this mission.

For more resources and hope-filled tools, visit parentingthroughthehard.com

Disclaimer: The thoughts shared here come from my own parenting and faith journey. Please remember this podcast is not a replacement for professional counseling or medical guidance.

In this Hope in the Hard episode, I slow down with a story many of us know, the one often called the prodigal son, and I reflect on it through a different lens. Instead of focusing on the child who wandered, I sit with the parent who stayed.

As a mom navigating the challenges of parenting teens and adult children, including seasons of addiction, distance, and unanswered questions, I explore the long, quiet stretch of waiting that lives between departure and return. I wonder about the unseen work God may be doing in our hearts during that time, the grief, the surrender, and the daily choice to love without controlling.

This episode is for parents walking through hard seasons with their children and for anyone learning how to remain tender without chasing outcomes.

Together, we consider how God may be working on both sides of the road, shaping not only the child who struggles, but the parent who waits. It's a gentle, reflective Hope in the Hard conversation about trust, timing, and how we are learning to love faithfully in the middle.

If you’d like to partner with us and support the podcast, consider sponsoring an upcoming episode by making a donation of any size to Parenting Through the Hard [by clicking here].

Your support keeps this podcast running — and goes directly toward production costs and continuing this mission.

For more resources and hope-filled tools, visit parentingthroughthehard.com

Disclaimer: The thoughts shared here come from my own parenting and faith journey. Please remember this podcast is not a replacement for professional counseling or medical guidance.