The Parent Pivot Podcast

Pivoting from a parent to a partner comes with a mixture of emotions. You might feel down, lonely, or a bit unsure about what to do with all the new free time you suddenly have. It's a big change, after all. Your job as the parent has shifted, and now it's time to watch your adult children make their way in the world. On this episode of The Parent Pivot Podcast, Steve and Julia shed some light on...

Life used to be so simple.  You grew up.  Went to college.  Got married.  Bought a house.  Raised your family. Worked for 30-40 years in the same place.  Retired.  Got a gold watch.  Played golf until you died.  We called it "The American Dream." Today - life looks VERY different and fitting into this mold is no longer possible for 90% of the population. Pivoting to being a partner who speaks life...

Anxiety and control go hand in hand to destroy relationships and often times we are unaware of how our anxiety impacts our relationships with our adult child(ren). On today's Parent Pivot Podcast, Steve and Julia reflect on what we can do to decrease our anxiety so that we can maintain healthy relationships and pivot well from parent to partner.  

If you google, "How to deal with an antagonistic adult children," quora.com will tell you:      Avoid them. They're grown. You have no control over them or               their behavior. Focus on things you can control. Take good care of.       yourself. Good thing you have The Parent Pivot Podcast to listen to! On this episode, Steve and Julia will help you pivot with your antagonistic adult child...

Your son or daughter has just gotten married, or is about to.  What does it look like to pivot from parent to partner with your new in-law kids? On this episode of The Parent Pivot Podcast, Steve and Julia sit down with their daughter-in-law, Ashleigh Cummings, for a transparent and insightful interview from her perspective on marrying into a different family than the one she was raised in.  You'l...

Pivoting well from parent to partner often times means taking a deeper look at things.  On this episode of The Parent Pivot Podcast, Steve and Julia tell us first-hand about the highly sensitive person and what that looks like to help us pivot well to being a partner.  If your adult child is an HSP, and 20% of the population is, you won't want to miss this podcast. Get a copy of "The Highly Sensit...

It was bound to happen sooner or later.  We simply can't avoid it.  Our kids grow up and become adults and soon we find ourselves in an "empty nest."  Now what? For some couples, one can make the transition quickly and the other one struggles greatly.   How can we approach this new season of life and really, the rest of our lives, and make it as enjoyable as possible? On this edition of The Parent...

Pivoting is never easy to do no matter what you're pivoting from and to.  It takes intentionality, courage, stepping outside your normal mode of thinking, and seeing life from a different perspective. Pivoting from parent to partner with your adult children is no different. Ecclesiastes 3:1 says,                        "There is a time for everything, and a season                          for ever...

It happens to all of us at some time.  Our kids become adults.  Leave home.  Get married.  And all their stuff from childhood remains in our basements and garages. What does that have to do with pivoting from parent to partner? On this episode of The Parent Pivot podcast, we get an insight look at how Julia faced this recently and what this "emotional torture" taught her in her pivot to partner.

Are you considered a "Type A" personality?  Maybe you have some of these common characteristics.  You are: outgoing ambitious rigidly organized highly status-conscious impatient anxious proactive concerned with time management.  On this episode of The Parent Pivot Podcast, Steve opens up to share his story of being a "Type A Parent" and how he has become aware of the impact it had on raising his k...

It's very subtle and it can go undetected for years and wreak havoc on your relationship(s) with your adult child(ren).  Becoming aware of it and the "why beneath the what" can propel you to a joy-filled life of being a healthy Partner. On this episode of The Parent Pivot Podcast, Steve and Julia share their own story about how our identity and the worth we receive as "Mom and Dad" plays a foundat...

Like anything we do in life, there can be an "art and a science" to it.  Pivoting from Parent to Partner is no different.   On today's episode of The Parent Pivot Podcast, Steve and Julia take the in-depth time to personally respond to a loyal listener who invited them into her pivot about her college grad daughter and some things that aren't quite turning out the way she thought they would.  Stev...

"Put the Spotlight on Me?"  Wait.  What??!!  How does that help me pivot from a Parent to a Partner? Easy. Parenting was all about teaching our kids and instructing them on how to live a responsible life.  PARTNERING is all about what is "caught, not taught." On this episode of The Parent Pivot Podcast, Steve and Julia show us how shifting the spotlight to us and the changes we are personally goin...

The pivot from Parent to Partner goes more smoothly when we "keep our mouths shut and the welcome mat out" - the main theme of Jim Burns' book and The Parent Pivot Podcast. Okay - but what is the balance between keeping our mouths shut - and dealing with our own emotions and resentment that pops up with our adult kids?   On today's podcast, Steve and Julia Cummings help you navigate what this look...

One dynamic that comes into play as we pivot from being a parent to a partner is: What is the balance between financially helping our adult child(ren) - and enabling them?   Whether it's paying for college, a car, a down payment on a new home, or childcare for the grand babies, how much is too much?  Especially when you aren't seeing any grateful hearts and expectations begin to take over because,...

Starting a new year can often be overwhelming making a list of "resolutions" to improve your life - like, eating better, exercising, or paying off debt.  Where do you start? When it comes to pivoting from parenting to partnering with your adult children, Steve and Julia believe you can start 2024 with ONE simple step.  Don't miss he next episode of The Parent Pivot Podcast! Got a podcast topic you...

2023 is over and here comes another year.  Are you ready?  What's in store in 2024?  (Oh wow! . . . that rhymes!) Once again, coming at you in real time, Steve and Julia open the new year of The Parent Pivot Podcast with something they recently faced that caused them to look inward at themselves and how they are coming across to their adult children.  You'll laugh a little, maybe not cry, but you'...

In the Cummings' kitchen is a wooden plaque that says, "Simplify."  We often get overwhelmed in life trying to balance, juggle, and learn new things.  Don't you wish you could just simplify life more? On today's Parent Pivot Podcast, Steve and Julia help us simplify how we can focus on a few things on the road to becoming a champion partner to our adult child(ren). Get a copy of "How We Love" ment...

You've been there before.  You're introduced to a group of people and you begin to feel a positive connection with one or two people - and soon you become fast friends. What is it that caused that to happen? On today's episode of The Parent Pivot Podcast, Steve and Julia show us how the "gravitational effect" can actually propel you to pivot much faster to a partner than anything else - and your a...

“The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face shine on you     and be gracious to you; the Lord turn his face toward you     and give you peace.” Numbers 6:24-26 These verses from the Old Testament are known as "The Blessing" and are the focal point of this edition of The Parent Pivot Podcast. Steve and Julia share how it's not to late to change generational "stuff" and see what God doe...

So your kids are having a baby! You're going to be a grandparent!  Whether it's your first or another in a long line, the baby showers, pregnancy checkups, and gender reveals dominate your days.  All of it these events are memory makers that last a lifetime. On this episode of The Parent Pivot Podcast, Steve and Julia zero in on one aspect of your grandchild's birth that could upset the apple cart...

Pivoting from Parent to Partner can be fun, impact others and develop a deeper connection with your adult child.  It doesn't always have to be confrontational or stressful.  There are some things you can do that will have a life long impact. On this episode of The Parent Pivot Podcast, Steve and Julia show us how serving together with your adult child(ren) can end up blessing the recipient of your...

Pivoting from parent to partner isn't easy.  It's a road of what seems like constant change.  But! . . . the intentional effort you put in, will reap a stronger, deeper and more healthy relationship with your adult children. On this episode of The Parent Pivot Podcast, Steve and Julia show us how we can have a lasting legacy that will strengthen your relationships with your adult children for a li...

The holidays are here and can be a LOT of stress as we try to negotiate the plans to be made when our adult kids are married.  What do you do when you have traditions that have been going on for decades and now you have a new member of the family? How do we navigate this season when there are so many emotions pulling us in different directions? On this episode of The Parent Pivot Podcast, Steve an...

In every family tree, addiction can wreak havoc destroying family relationships for generations to come.  The mere mention of the word, addiction, often strikes fear in our hearts. But, it doesn't have to be that way. On the this episode of The Parent Pivot Podcast, Steve and Julia will show us how you can actually grow closer to your adult kids and bring a halt to addiction in your family, while...