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

What happens inside you when your big kid is struggling and you can’t immediately make it better? In this episode, I’m exploring why watching our teens and adult kids feel disappointed, lonely, overwhelmed, or uncomfortable can create so much anxiety for us as moms. Our instinct is often to step in, offer advice, or try to smooth the path. But sometimes that urge to help can leave us more anxious...

Have you ever watched your big kid do something and immediately thought, Oh my God… what are people going to think of me? Today, I’m talking about the embarrassment that can come with parenting teens and navigating the empty nest years, especially when your kid is rude, reckless, irresponsible, or making choices you really wish they wouldn't make. I’ll help you separate your kid’s behavior fr...

What happens when the child you would happily spend all weekend with can barely carve out dinner with you? That was the reality of my recent Parents Weekend, and it gave me a front-row seat to something so many of us moms experience when parenting teens and in the empty nest. It's the temptation to measure connection by how much time, attention, or reassurance our kids give us. In this episode, I’...

Have you ever found yourself more invested in your big kid’s success than they seem to be? Maybe you’re reminding them about the job application, pushing them to study, asking for the tenth time about the chore, or wondering why they don’t seem more motivated. And before long, you’re not just frustrated by what they’re doing today, you’re worrying about who they’re becoming. In this episode, I’m t...

Have you ever noticed that when your kid is struggling, you make it your job to struggle too? So often, as moms, we let our own peace rise and fall with how our kids are doing. They’re happy, and we can relax. They’re struggling or pulling away, and so we’re anxious, overthinking, and trying to make everything better. In this episode, I’m continuing the Mindset Trap series with a focus on emo...

Have you ever had a moment when the house feels too quiet, your kids are busy living their lives, and you suddenly wonder, when did I start feeling this alone? In this episode, I’m exploring the different ways loneliness can show up during the teen and empty nest years. Sometimes we simply miss our kids. Sometimes we’re grieving the closeness or relationship we thought we’d have. And sometimes mot...

Have you ever noticed how quickly your mind can skip right past what’s going well and land on the one thing that still feels unresolved? Parenting teens and navigating the empty nest can hold so many contradictions at once. You can be proud of your kid and worried about them. Grateful for this stage of motherhood and grieving what has changed. Happy for their independence and still struggling with...

When your big kid is struggling, pulling away, or making choices you don’t understand, how quickly does your brain start asking, “What did I do wrong?” In this episode, I’m talking about the way we moms can use our kids’ choices, struggles, relationships, and happiness as evidence of how well we’re doing in motherhood. That gets especially painful as we move through parenting teens and the empty n...

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 confusing when you’re parenting teens, college kids, and adult children. At this stage of motherhood, we often judge whether a boundary “worked” by looking at what our kid does next. Did they change the behavior? Take it seriously? Lea...

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 noticing this in my own life lately, and it made me curious about what’s really underneath all that worry. In this episode, I’m exploring why anxiety can feel so hard to put down during the parenting teens and empty nest years, and why...

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 navigate the empty nest, our kids’ disapproval can feel like evidence that we’re setting boundaries incorrectly, damaging the relationship, or failing at motherhood. Before we know it, we’re overexplaining, backpedaling, or changing a de...

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 how much something hurt you… and all you get back is a shrug, an eye roll, or a flat “okay.” In this episode, I’m exploring what happens when we interpret our big kid’s reaction as proof that they don’t care, haven’t learned anythi...

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 itself isn’t really the whole story. In this episode, I’m exploring the invisible contracts we create with our big kids.... the unspoken expectations about how they should respond, appreciate us, follow through, or stay connected...&nb...

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 moms experience while parenting teens, launching big kids, and moving toward the empty nest. When your kids need you less, it can stir up thoughts like, “I don’t know who I am anymore” or “Who am I, if I'm no longer needed?” I’ll hel...

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 arrive already exhausted... bracing for the school year, the college transition, the empty house, the next hard conversation, or whatever we fear might be coming. In this episode, I’m exploring what it means to stop spending so mu...

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 the quiet house or the extra time on my hands. It’s how much I miss being needed. Parenting teens and young adults can feel like a constant practice of letting go — and sometimes it hurts more than we expect. If you’re a mom in th...

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 in a direction that scares you. In those moments, parenting teens or young adults can bring up more than anxiety. It can bring real grief... for the relationship you thought you’d have, the future you pictured for them, and even the...

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 happens when setting boundaries leaves you feeling like the bad guy. Whether it’s phones, parties, drinking, money, or an adult child living at home, it’s easy to second-guess yourself when your kid is angry or tells you you’re bein...

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? College drop-off is where this episode begins, but it’s about something bigger: loving our kids through transitions we can’t control. Whether you’re parenting teens, approaching the empty nest, watching a child transfer, gradua...

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 the thought, “I don’t think my kid is going to be okay,” and why it can leave us feeling anxious, powerless, and desperate to fix what we can’t fully control. I’ll help you separate what is actually yours to do from the pressure to...

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, parenting teens and moving toward the empty nest can bring a strange mix of pride, sadness, connection, and uncertainty. We want them to build lives of their own, but that doesn’t mean we automatically know how to adjust when motherhood...

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 anger, embarrassment, grief, and even anxiety. I’ll help you understand why letting go can feel so disorienting after years of organizing your life around motherhood. You’ll learn how to get curious about what your big kid's rea...

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 easily I can spend our time together reading their moods, searching for reassurance, or thinking ahead to what I need to say. But when I’m focused on getting something from the moment, I’m no longer fully in it. In this episode, I’m...

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 your big kid is struggling, your mind starts racing, your chest tightens, and suddenly you’re searching for the right words, the right solution, or some sign that everything will be okay. In this episode, I’m talking about why letti...

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? In this episode, I’m exploring why setting boundaries is not about finding the perfect consequence that will finally make your child change. It’s about deciding how you want to show up when you cannot control what happens next....