The Parent Pivot Podcast

As we grew up as kids ourselves, we may or may not have good memories of how we were celebrated on our birthday.  Then we get married and our spouse's experience plays into how we choose to celebrate our own kids birthday. Now they are adults.  Whether you realize it or not, there "could be" some underlying issues your adult child is facing that aren't known when it comes to their birthday. On thi...

Ecclesiastes 3:1 says "There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens."  Often the season of the empty nest can leave us dealing with a number of issues.  How can you make sense of it all? On this re-air episode of The Parent Pivot Podcast, Steve and Julia share some raw and vulnerable feelings about their relatively new journey as empty nesters and provide some...

There are instances where parents can get stuck making the pivot from raising a child as a parent - to releasing them into the world as an adult and becoming a partner. Today on The Parent Pivot Podcast, Steve and Julia - after getting distracted again by the wildlife in their backyard - deliver a major symptom that prevents parents from pivoting well.  Using some current sporting news and T.V. sh...

Pivoting from "Mamma parent" to "Mamma partner" can be one of the toughest things you'll ever have to do - especially if you have an adult son. On this edition of The Parent Pivot Podcast, Steve and Julia discuss the unique dynamics of the Mother/Son relationship and what you want that to look like as they start their own life without you as the #1 woman in their life. It's not a sad story and doe...

Ever feel like you're walking a difficult road with a wayward adult child?  On this edition of The Parent Pivot Podcast, Steve and Julia sit down with author and licensed parent-family educator, Lori Wildenberg, as she offers practical grace- and truth-filled ways of navigating your relationship with a detoured child—whether they are rejecting faith, dabbling in sin, or wholeheartedly embracing si...

Probably THE hardest thing a partner of an adult child faces is when their child goes through some sort of suffering.  It never changes because we never stop being Mom and Dad.  We all feel deeply it and our knee-jerk reaction is to: Step in and fix it Make the pain go away And in the process - we make it worse. SO - what are we supposed to do?  What is the healthy way to deal with our adult child...

Does it seem like your adult child ignores you, talks down to you, or treats you in a negative way somehow?  Maybe it even feels like you're walking on eggshells? On this edition of The Parent Pivot Podcast, Steve and Julia provide some insightful wisdom on how we can navigate that path with confidence toward a healthier relationship with our adult kids.

"One" is a song by American singer-songwriter Harry Nilsson that was made famous by Three Dog Night back in the 60's. You may be parents who have one adult child and may not realize there are some unique dynamics that play into what your pivot looks like. On today's Parent Pivot Podcast, Steve and Julia look at those dynamics after hearing from some adult children who are the only child in their f...

We long for relationships to be joyful and life-giving, right? So why do they often leave us wounded, broken and exhausted? If you're looking to break the cycles that hurt your relationships with your adult kids and hold you back - you won't want to miss this edition of The Parent Pivot Podcast. Steve and Julia sit down with Justin and Trisha Davis about their new book - "One Choice Away from Chan...

You pour your heart and soul into raising your family. You kids grow up and become responsible adults and often times find their mate and get married. That's what we want, right partners of adult kids? Something that can suddenly impact and throw off your "Disney fairy-tale ending" often begins at the wedding. TWO families coming together and dynamics enter and things can change abruptly! THEN - t...

Pivoting to healthy relationships with our adult children requires:                    1. Diving                    2. Reflection                    3. Processing Picture an iceberg. That's ALL we see in a person is what's above the surface. Unbeknownst to us is the other 90% brewing beneath the surface that stirs up our emotions and thoughts as we try to make sense of ANY situation or conversatio...

Dads: What if you were told that "doing" LESS as a father when your kids turn 20, would actually raise your stock (i.e. respect) i their eyes? Would you listen? It certainly goes against the grain of what we have been taught, shown and modeled in our culture - even the traditional church. On this special edition of The Parent Pivot Podcast, Steve talks to dads straight from the heart and shares hi...

Let's face it . . . not only is there NOT instructions handed to new parents by the doctor explaining "what to do" when you leave the hospital and take your baby home. The same can also be said when your adult kids leave home. Where's the "partner manual"? Where do you go to find out how to make the pivot from parent to partner? We got you on this one! On this edition of the Parent Pivot Podcast,...

We recently posted some TikTok short videos on a variety of subjects to see what would stick to the wall. One particular issue touched home with over 11,000 hits! (Huge for us!) Adult children and parents all chimed in with their hurt and pain seeking healthy answers to this question: "What do you do when relationship between parent and adult child is cutoff?" On this edition of The Parent Pivot P...

Your son or daughter is heading off to college - or currently in college - and you're finding it extremely hard to let go. It can be painful to not be needed as much as you used to. How do you make sense of this new season of life? Steve and Julia have a few small steps you can begin to take down this new road and start to make "the pivot" from parent to partner. Dads: This is for you, too! Join u...

It's easy to keep the focus on "how" our adult children are doing and who they are becoming, right? This podcast is designed to come alongside you as make the pivot to partner and validate, encourage, bring awareness and equip with tools to have healthy Partner/Adult Child relationship. But there is more to pivoting to partner than this. The sanctification journey for us as partners. With a humble...

It's happening more and more these days to pivoting parents and we are hearing about it more and more.  When WE left the nest - breaking off relationship with parents really wasn't a thing.  Today?  Our adult kids have been swamped by an ideology that life is all about them. What's a pivoting partner to do?  How can we re-establish relationship? On this edition of The Parent Pivot Podcast, Steve a...

Remember the old adage, "How do you eat an elephant?"  One bite at a time? Well, the same also holds true with improving our relationships with our adult child(ren).  There are so many things to remember it can be overwhelming.  But what if you just chose ONE to work on this year?  On this edition of The Parent Pivot Podcast, Steve and Julia share their list of 14 ways you can take a small step fo...

Passing on a spiritual legacy to our kids is every Christian parent's dream. It says so in the Bible, right? But what happens when you've done everything "right" and they grow up to become adults and don't want any part if it? What then? On this edition of The Parent Pivot Podcast, Steve is joined by his daughter, Jamilyn Upchurch, and together they share their own journey of what they went throug...

We have a tendency to think that we have to do extraordinary things to change things about ourselves. That's a lie and it prevents us from growing in every aspect: physically, mentally, emotionally, socially, and spiritually. On this edition of The Parent Pivot Podcast, Steve and Julia lay out for us what it looks like to improve these area's of our lives in small increments of whole-hearted livin...

The holidays are upon us and that can mean stress when we gather with extended family, right? Our past experiences for Thanksgiving can bring great, family memories - or stressful conversations, especially when alcohol is involved and everyone is sharing their opinions. Pivoting from parent to partner just went to the next level. How do we steer clear of the volatile conversations? On this episode...

None of us like a detour. It messes up our timing, our plans, and causes stress and anxiety. Can I get an "AMEN!"? Detours are never convenient. They take us out of our way, and they are LONGER than than we originally planned to travel. "But God . . . " On this edition of The Parent Pivot Podcast, Steve shares what has helped him by his Bible Apps and Dr. Tony Evans that will help you see these de...

Now that we have your attention, there IS a path toward healthy social media use that can actually draw your adult kids closer to you. WHAT?? It's true. When it comes to how we use social media, there are some changes in how we use it that requires a pivot as well. On this podcast of The Parent Pivot Podcast, Steve and Julia outline what those changes are, that they personally went through, to hel...

You know that feeling. The one that causes your chest to puff out when someone tells you something about your character they like or something you did that was AMAZING, right?  We were given respect and what did that do to the relationship? It enhanced and deepened it. Why? Respect is so important in relationships because it helps us feel safe and express ourselves, while building trust and wellbe...

Often times life can get so busy, hectic, and burdensome it feels like we aren't really making progress. Ever felt this way? Maybe you do now. God never intended us to live this way. When it comes to making a good pivot from parent to partner, there is one key aspect that makes that pivot smoother: Grace. On today's Parent Pivot Podcast Steve and Julia guide us down this path and how as Partners -...