The Parent Pivot Podcast

Julia: Our youngest is thirty, and some nights before I go to sleep, I still pull up FindMy on my phone to see where all four kids are. Anybody else do that? Steve: When our friend Chris Tyrrell played a new song he and Hillary just recorded, “Mama’s Lullaby” at their home in Nashville, you had all four of them on your mind, didn’t you? Julia: I did. And I cry every time I hear it. Maybe your adult child just left for college. Maybe they called last night, and you could hear how hard things are. Steve: Come listen to the song with us. We’re talking about trusting God with the grown kids we’d still love to tuck in - this week on The Parent Pivot Podcast. Resources mentioned on today's podcast: 1. Need a listening ear, someone to talk to and process a situation with your adult child?  Book some time with Julia by sending her a text at 714-392-2060 - or go to www.MeadowbrookCounselingGa.com

Ever hang up the phone with one of your grown kids and think, “Well, I did it again. They called to tell me about their day, and I gave them three things they ought to do.” This week on The Parent Pivot Podcast, we’re bringing back “Be a Better Version of Yourself.” Join Steve and Julia for a conversation about what our adult kids learn from watching us grow. Sometimes that starts with calling back and saying, “Hey, I got so busy giving you advice that I never asked how you were doing. Want to tell me the rest?” Shifting the spotlight to us and the changes we are personally going through creates healthier relationships with our adult child(ren). Resources for Steve and Julia:  1.   "The Parent Pivot: 13 Principles for Building Stronger Relationships with Your Adult Children." by Steve and Julia Cummings 2.  Need someone to talk to and process a situation with your adult child?  Book some time with Julia by sending her a text at 714-392-2060 - or go to www.MeadowbrookCounselingGa.com

The holidays are coming—and sometimes family expectations arrive before the invitations! How do we make room for connection when traditions and plans begin to change? This week on the Parent Pivot Podcast, we’re re-airing one of most popular podcast about the holidays and  how we now approach them differently when our kids get married.  We’ve been out of the country for 17 days, and we have some great interviews lined up for you! In the meantime, join us for this encore as you begin thinking about your own family gatherings. What are you looking forward to? What might you need to hold a little more loosely? Thanks for being part of the Parent Pivot family. We’re glad you’re here!

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 "Best of" podcast, Steve and Julia help you navigate what this looks like to help strengthen your communication and ultimately your relationship(s) with your adult child(ren). Resources mentioned in today's podcast: "Doing Life with Your Adult Children"  by Dr. Jim Burns [Note: We apologize but we are out of extra copies] "The Treasure Principle"  by Randy Alcorn.  (Please text Steve at 714-742-9625 for a free copy).  Order a copy of "How We Love" by Milan and Kay Yerkovich here.  Get your free copy of Soul Words.  

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 "Best of" The 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" mentioned in today's podcast. Take the Enneagram Test here and get a copy of "The Road Back to You" for understanding and insight. Please rate us, write a review, and share us on social media!   PROGRAMMING NOTE:  We are traveling in out of the country and hope you enjoy listening to some of our "Best of" podcasts.  

Your kids are grown. You love them deeply. So why does staying close sometimes feel so hard? Join Steve and Julia for a special Parent Pivot Podcast with Dr. Gary Chapman, bestselling author of "The Five Love Languages." We’re talking about his book, "Your New Life with Adult Children"—and the shift from telling our kids what to do to becoming someone they want to talk to. Unsolicited advice. Difficult conversations. The power of an apology. How do we let go of control and keep building connection? Listen now on the Parent Pivot Podcast. Resources mentioned on this podcast: "Your New Life with Adult Children" by Gary Chapman, PhD & Ross Campbell, MD "The Love Language That Matters Most" by Gary Chapman, Leslie Parrott & Les Parrott

Whether we realize it or not, or even BELIEVE it, shame can affect our relationships with our adult children.  It seeks to destroy our identity as a parent and replace it with a damaged version of ourselves.  The good news is: we don't have to continue to live this way. On this "Best of" episode of The Parent Pivot Podcast, Steve and Julia unpack how shame can be overcome and you can begin to have that healthy relationship with your adult children you've always desired and didn't know how to get there. PROGRAMMING NOTE:  We apologize for the late release this week but we will make it up to all our faithful listeners with an interview NEXT week with Dr. Gary Chapman, author of the book, "Your New Life with Adult Children". Be sure to listen to next week's episode!

“Where did we go wrong?” Ever asked that question while watching your adult child struggle? You taught them. Prayed for them. Did your best. And still, their choices leave you second-guessing your parenting. On this “Best of” The Parent Pivot Podcast, Steve and Julia revisit a conversation about the blame so many parents carry—and the freedom of releasing responsibility for choices that belong to our adult children. You can love them deeply without making every struggle a verdict on your parenting. If you’ve been carrying that weight, take a breath—and join us. Be sure to check out The Parent Pivot: 13 Principles for Building Stronger Relationships with Your Adult Children, a practical guide for moving from authority figure to trusted partner - by Steve and Julia Cummings And if you’ve already read the book, would you take a moment to leave an honest Amazon review? Your review helps other parents discover it. 2. Need someone to process or dump on about your adult child and what's going on?  Text Julia at 714-392-2060 to set up a virtual counseling session or visit her website at: www.meadowbrookcounselingga.com  

On today’s Parent Pivot Podcast, Steve and Julia sit down with author and parenting expert Catherine Hickem for a powerful conversation about one of the hardest transitions we make as parents: learning how to parent our adult children without trying to control them. Catherine says influence has to be earned—not demanded. We talk about expectations, estrangement, boundaries, identity, fear, and why repairing a relationship starts by looking in the mirror instead of blaming your son or daughter. And maybe most importantly, Catherine reminds us that broken relationships can be redeemed and she explains what that looks like from her own life with her father. If you’re the parent of an adult child, you don’t want to miss this conversation. Resources mentioned on this podcast: "The Father Eclipse: How Your Earthly Father Shaped Your Identity and How to See God Clearly Again" by Steve Cummings.  Your 5-star Amazon review would be gratefully received. Identity Exchange with Jamie and Donna Winship Identity Exchange YouTube Videos Parenting Adult Children Today with Catherine Hickem Pre-order Catherine's new book coming our February 16, 2027, "It's Never Too Late to Be a Great Parent."

When your adult child is hurting, everything in you wants to step in. Fix it. Solve it. Make the pain go away. But what if the most loving thing you can do is… not rescue them? On this episode of The Parent Pivot Podcast, Steve and Julia get very real about what we’ve been walking through with our own adult kids—and the emotional tightrope of knowing when to step in and when to step back. How do you support them without taking over? How do you listen without fixing? And how do you trust that they can figure this out? When Helping Becomes Rescuing - on The Parent Pivot Podcast. Resources mentioned on this podcast: 1.  The Parent Pivot: 13 Principles for Building Stronger Relationships with Your Adult Children, a practical guide for moving from authority figure to trusted partner - by Steve and Julia Cummings And if you’ve already read the book, would you take a moment to leave an honest Amazon review? Your review helps other parents discover it. 2. Need someone to process or dump on about your adult child and what's going on?  Text Julia at 714-392-2060 to set up a virtual counseling session or visit her website at: www.meadowbrookcounselingga.com