Conversations from the Heart #110 - When Your Adult Child Pulls Away (and You’re Left in the Dark)
What do you do when you’ve poured your heart into being a better parent, and your adult child still keeps you at arm’s length?
In today’s heartfelt (and heart-heavy) coaching conversation, we sit with Josie: a mother navigating the complex grief of feeling used, dismissed, and emotionally exiled by her daughter.
Despite years of inner work and a deep desire to connect, Josie finds herself hurt and unsure: Should she take space? Should she block her daughter’s messages? Is silence a form of self-care, or a veiled cry to be rescued?
Together, we untangle the knot between boundaries and punishment, help her find clarity around her deeper intentions, and explore how unmet childhood needs can hijack our adult relationships. Whether you’re a parent, a child, or both, this episode will speak to the ache of misalignment and the courage it takes to stay rooted in love while protecting your own heart.
In this episode:
•How to discern the difference between setting a boundary and delivering a covert ultimatum
•Why “taking space” sometimes carries unspoken hopes for change, and how to separate them
•The ache of being the family scapegoat, even after decades of healing
•Navigating the painful realization: Nobody else sees me the way my children do.
•A metaphor for overexposure to painful dynamics: The emotional sunburn
•Why it’s essential to tend to your inner child before asking others to meet your unmet needs
•Sample scripts for taking space with clarity, not punishment
•The real purpose of pausing contact: and how to do it with integrity
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