Tips for repairing your relationship with your child when they are abusing substances.
Are you dreading Thanksgiving & Christmas? When you’re already struggling because of your child’s substance use, the holidays can be overwhelming and painful. You can’t control what your child does, but you can be intentional with how you respond to what happens, plan ahead to meet your emotional needs, and set the tone for your …
3 Steps To Create Holiday Peace & Maybe Even Some Joy Read More »
If you’re struggling with anxiety, fear, and panic about your child’s addiction this playlist is for you. So many struggling parents have reached out to me about this lately so I am putting some of my favorite podcasts and videos in one place for you. Listen as many times as you need to and take …
Release Anxiety, Panic, and Fear About Your Child’s Addiction Playlist Read More »
This week I got to interview my daughter. You’ve been hearing my experience of her addiction so I think that it’s important to hear what her experience was like as well. Some of the things we talked about: · What was it like when I looked to you to be ok to make me …
How often do you feel pressured to make decisions quickly? If you’ve been dealing with a child’s addiction, seeing an incoming call from their number or any unknown number can instantly create a panic/stress response in you. You never know what you’re going to be met with on the other end of the phone. If …
Are you dreading the holidays? When you’re already struggling because of your child’s addiction, the holidays can quickly compound that stress. You can’t control what your child does, but you can be intentional with how you respond to what happens this year and set the tone for your family. Step 1 Decide ahead of time …
3 Steps to Avoid Holiday Disaster & Create Peace Read More »
Questions are simple yet life changing. I love seeing the lights come on and a coaching client changing in front of my eyes as I ask them questions. The heavy burden of overwhelm lifts, their body relaxes, the brain fog dissipates, clarity kicks in, and they start to see they have more choices than they …
The other day I was watching a video for my Reiki certification and one of the slides said if you want to keep pushing Reiki on someone who doesn’t want it then you need to look at yourself and why you want them to do it so bad. Of course that got me thinking about …
You can have a connected loving relationship with your child even though they’re struggling with substances. If you want to connect with them, you need to look inside yourself first. A large part of what’s blocking your relationship is that their addiction activates every unresolved emotional wound you have. We all have similar wounds, that’s …
HOW TO CONNECT WITH YOUR CHILD THAT’S STRUGGLING WITH ADDICTION Read More »
When I started working with parents whose kids are struggling with addiction I knew that shame would be a hurdle for them to overcome to get help. I dealt with it myself. Shame keeps us from all the things we want and need in order to begin healing. It’s a separator but what we need …
How To Overcome Shame & Fear Of Judgement About Your Child’s Addiction Read More »
May is Mental Health Awareness Month We’re only as sick as our secrets & mental health is a topic that has been shrouded in secrecy and shame for too long. That’s why it’s so misunderstood. We need to talk about it more. Share this video and use it to start the conversation. One of the …
Mental health has to be worked at like physical heath. Read More »
In February some girlfriends and I took a weekend trip to Dallas. We stayed at a fun hotel in an area where we could walk to nearby restaurants. Our first night there we were excited that a drive only 3 hours south made such a difference in the temperature. As we walked into the courtyard, …
What’s your biggest complaint about your child that’s using substances? Read More »
There we were in the psychologist’s office. I was sitting on the love seat. My daughter was in a chair and the psychologist was in another chair next to her. I was facing both of them. My daughter was telling me and the psychologist all the ways I was a bad mom, all the reasons …
Do you feel responsible for your teen/young adult’s substance use? Read More »
I often wonder where the perception of control comes from or why we think we should be able to control other people. When my daughter started abusing substances and I couldn’t control her behavior or get her to change it, I felt like I was failing as a mother. Why couldn’t I figure out how …
I often hear overwhelmed parents venting about what their addicted child is doing to them. How their child is treating them. This unhealthy relationship with no balance happens over time. Addiction rears its ugly head in their home. Parents don’t know what to do. They try to research for help, but all they find is …
How do you feel about the way your addicted child treats you? Read More »
My robot vacuum (her name is Wonder Woman) reminds me of how I approached my daughter’s substance use when it first started. Several days in a row while I was sitting at my desk working, I noticed Wonder Woman was struggling to get into my office. The transition into my office is higher than the …
Relationship manuals are detailed mental books of rules and expectations about what is normal and acceptable behavior for our children. The difference between a manual and everyday parental rules and expectations is the emotional attachment to the outcome. When you are emotionally attached to the outcome it is a manual. The attachment to the outcome …
When there’s something that you need to talk to your son or daughter about and there’s a lot of negative emotion& tension involved, following these steps can change the outcome. One person can change the whole tone of a conversation. Most of us have no idea how to communicate without blame, frustration, defensiveness, or …
7 steps for Difficult Conversations with your teen/young adult child Read More »
Boundaries create clear lines between you and the world. People often have fears about how others will feel about their boundaries and worry they will cause distance, but properly set boundaries lead to closer relationships. People with naturally strong boundaries can be compassionate because they don’t feel taken advantage of. If you feel taken advantage …
Setting boundaries with your child when they are abusing drugs and alcohol Read More »
The most surprising lesson I have learned from substance abuse is unconditional love. Unconditional love is the willingness to work through all the discomfort I feel because I see my teen suffering, and I want to fix it, and I can’t fix it, but I keep showing up with love in the face of that …
How Unconditional Love Helps When Your Child Is Abusing Substances Read More »