The Reconnection Club Podcast

This episode was inspired by this post in the Community forums inside the Reconnection Club: "Sometimes I wonder if my daughter is getting some kind of 'cheap thrill' at my expense. I keep contacting her but she doesn't contact me. Yet she throws me a 'crumb' in response. She knows I want to see her, but she has the power to make sure we don't." In case you're in a hurry, the answer is no. Estrang...

Working your way back to an adult child when they've cut off contact is a time-consuming process. This is maddening, when all you want to do is to reconcile and reconnect as quickly as possible. But haste makes waste, because being in a hurry almost always means making mistakes. This is true for any important endeavor. Today we discuss 3 common mistakes parents make in reaction to their adult chil...

Estrangement from an adult child is what author Pauline Boss called an "ambiguous loss." She wrote a book by that name in 1999, and although she didn't talk specifically about estrangement, the circumstance definitely qualifies as similar to a familiar member being missing in action, or having a disease like Alzheimer's, in which case they're "there but not there." These are losses that aren't com...

Most estranged parents feel like time is a thief, stealing opportunities and happiness while they're estranged from an adult child. This makes parents feel a bit desperate, so they reach out in ineffectual ways. But the reality is, you can only do so much. You can't push the river. Fortunately, in addition to be a thief, Time is also your friend. Time heals heartbreaks and bad feelings, and can ev...

This episode introduces you to your host, Tina Gilbertson, and what this show is all about. I talk about where I'm coming from (and not coming from), and what I'm hoping to accomplish with this show. I also introduce you to reconnectionclub.com, the genesis of the podcast. If you're interested in personal growth, lifelong learning and becoming your best self in addition to reconnecting with your e...