200. #2 Top Episode of 2025: Why Talking to Your Adult Kids Feels So Hard and How to Fix It!
The Midlife Momma Podcast - Empty nest mom, Parenting adult children, Midlife transition, Christian momShow Notes
Ever walked away from a conversation with your grown child thinking, “What just happened?” You’re not alone, Momma. Communication in the empty nest can feel tricky. The roles have changed, emotions run deep, and sometimes the words just don’t land the way we hoped. In this highly downloaded episode, Pamela unpacks ten common barriers that make conversations with adult children so challenging, and shares practical, grace-filled solutions to overcome each one.
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More from The Midlife Momma Podcast - Empty nest mom, Parenting adult children, Midlife transition, Christian mom
Is your adult child struggling with anxiety or depression? Pamela Henkelman talks with authors Hope Blanton and Christine Gordon, who share practical ways moms can support an anxious or depressed adult child without fixing, rescuing, or carrying their struggles. Learn from a therapist and theologian what to say, how to listen well, and how to manage your own worry as you trust God with your adult child.
Watching your adult child struggle can bring up fear, worry, and the urge to step in and fix everything. Therapist Carol Moore, known as Hey Mom on Instagram, joins Pamela Henkelman to talk about how moms can stay emotionally steady when their adult kids are struggling. We discuss how to support without rescuing, manage your own emotions, and build a healthy relationship with your adult child.
When your adult child is struggling, every mom wants to step in and make things better.
What happens when the life you've carefully built suddenly falls apart? In this final episode of the Her Next Chapter series, Pamela sits down with author Cheryl Esper Balcom to discuss her novel Mother of the Year and the powerful themes of grief, surrender, faith, and letting go of control. If you're navigating change in midlife or learning to trust God with what you can't control, this conversation will encourage your heart.
What emotional baggage have you been carrying for far too long? In this episode of the Her Next Chapter series, Pamela talks with Lisa Najarian, founder of the You Go Girl movement and author of Girl, Unpack That!, about why women often carry unresolved hurts alone and how friendship and honesty can help us find healing. If you're ready to let go of what's weighing you down and step into your next chapter with greater freedom, this conversation is for you.