The Almost Empty Nest—Letting Go, Redefined: Parenting Teens and Finding Yourself Again—with Small Jar Coach

Why the Right Boundary Can Still Feel So Wrong When Parenting Teens and Adult Kids | Ep. 289

What happens when you set a boundary, hold it, communicate it clearly… and absolutely nothing changes? In this episode, I’m talking about why boundaries can feel so conf

“I Can't Stop Worrying About My Kid”—Thoughts Moms Parenting Teens and Adult Kids Are Ashamed They Think | Ep. 288

Have you ever checked your big kid’s location, reread a text, or offered one more piece of advice because you were hoping it would finally help you relax? I’ve been noti

Mindset Traps of Parenting Teens and the Empty Nest—Trap #12: The Approval Trap—Why Your Big Kid’s Disapproval Makes You Doubt Yourself | Ep. 287

How many times have you felt clear about a decision as a mom, only to watch that confidence disappear the moment your big kid became upset? As we parent teens and naviga

“Nothing Matters to My Kid”—Thoughts Moms Parenting Teens and Adult Kids Are Ashamed They Think | Ep. 286

Have you ever walked away from a conversation with your teen thinking, Did any of that even register? Maybe you set a boundary, explain why you’re worried, or tell them

Letting Go of the Invisible Contracts that Make Parenting Teens and Adult Kids so Hard | Ep. 285

Have you ever been surprised by how much a late text, an eye roll, a messy kitchen, or a kid who barely talks to you can get under your skin? Sometimes the behavior itse

“I Don't Know Who I Am Anymore”—Thoughts Moms Parenting Teens and Adult Kids Are Ashamed They Think | Ep. 284

What happens when the role that gave your life so much structure, purpose, and meaning starts to change? In this episode, I’m talking about the identity shift so many mo

The September Reset—Three Steps to Build Your Emotional Capacity for Parenting Teens and Navigating the Empty Nest | Ep. 283

There’s something about a new school year that feels like a fresh start. But for moms in the teen and empty nest years, September doesn’t always feel fresh. Sometimes we

“I Miss Being Needed”—Thoughts Moms Parenting Teens and Adult Kids Are Ashamed They Think | Ep. 282

Do you ever miss being needed by your big kid? When I think about the empty nest, and even those times when my boys were still at home, what surprises me most isn’t just

When Your Big Kid's Life Takes a Left Turn—The Kind of Grief Moms Don't Talk About When Parenting Teens and Navigating the Empty Nest | Ep. 281

Have you ever looked at your big kid and thought, “How did we get here?” Maybe they’re pulling away, making choices you don’t understand, losing motivation, or heading i

“I Feel Like the Bad Guy When I Say No”—Thoughts Moms Parenting Teens and Adult Kids Are Ashamed They Think | Ep. 280

What if your teen’s disappointment isn’t proof you’re doing something wrong, but just part of parenting them as they grow? In this episode, I’m talking about what happen

College Drop-Off, the Empty Nest, and Letting Go—How to Stop Worrying about What Comes Next | Ep. 279

Do you ever notice how much we focus on making sure everything is ok with our big kid... and then we feel a  moment of relief when that happens... only it never lasts? C

"I Don't Think My Big Kid Is Going to Be OK”—Thoughts Moms Parenting Teens and Adult Kids Are Ashamed They Think | Ep. 278

What happens when your kid is really struggling and you can’t stop your mind from imagining where it might all lead? In this episode, I’m talking about the fear behind t

My Life Is Better When My Big Kid Is Around—Letting Go as Your Child Builds a Life of their Own | Ep. 277

What if the hardest part of letting go isn’t just that your child is leaving... but that you genuinely love your life more when they’re in it? As our kids grow up, paren

"My Big Kid Told Me to Get a Life”—Thoughts Moms Parenting Teens and Adult Kids Are Ashamed They Think | Ep. 276

What happens when the child you built so much of your life around suggests you need to go find one of your own? In this episode, I explore why those words can stir up an

Be Where Your Feet Are—Parenting Teens, the Empty Nest, and Letting Go | Ep. 275

What if the pressure to make every visit, vacation, or conversation meaningful is the very thing keeping you from enjoying it? As my boys have grown, I’ve noticed how ea

"I'm Not OK When My Kid's Not OK”—Thoughts Moms Parenting Teens and Adult Kids Are Ashamed They Think | Ep. 274

How quickly does your big kid’s hard day become your hard day too? You want to be the mom who listens calmly. You know you can’t fix every hard thing anymore. But when y

Parenting Teens When You Lose Leverage—The Boundaries That Actually Work as you Navigate the Empty Nest | Ep. 273

What happens when the parenting tools that once worked no longer give you any leverage... and your teen or adult child still isn’t making the choices you hoped they would

"Maybe I've Done Too Much for My Kid”—Thoughts Moms Parenting Teens and Adult Kids Are Ashamed They Think | Ep. 272

What happens when helping your big kid starts to feel expected... and not in a good way? In this episode, I’m exploring the resentment that can build when we moms keeps

Mindset Traps of Parenting Teens and the Empty Nest—Trap #11: Resisting Reality. Why Letting Go with Your Big Kid Feels so Hard and What It's Costing You | Ep. 271

What if the thing exhausting you isn’t only what’s happening with your big kid, but the constant fight inside you against the fact that it’s happening at all? Today, I’m

“I Feel Like I'm Failing as a Mom”—Thoughts Moms Parenting Teens and Adult Kids Are Ashamed They Think | Ep. 270

Do you ever wonder what the difficult moments with your teen or adult kid says about the kind of mom you are? When your big kid pulls away, shuts you out, or struggles,