Blog
The Olympics and Painful Parenting
My husband and I enjoy watching Olympic events. As I watched this week, it occured to me that the Olympics and painful parenting have something in common. Like many of the athletes who didn’t win a medal, parents of troubled adult children are discouraged from dashed hopes and unsuccessful attempts to control the outcome of their children’s lives. What can help us let go of needing to control? In this post I list 5 choices. I’d love to hear what you think!
A Thanksgiving Message for Brokenhearted Parents
Parents of teen or adult children who struggle with substance use, mental health issues (or any other distressing situation) find the holidays a most difficult time of year,...
Learning to Love Well from the Mother of a Prodigal, Part 2
Today Pam Jones Lanhart, mom of a son who struggled with drug abuse and director of Thrive! Family Support, has more valuable insights for us in Part 2 of her interview. What did...
Learning to Love Well from the Mother of a Prodigal Son, Part 1
This is part 1 of a 2-part interview with Pam Jones Lanhart, the mom of an adult son who struggled with drug abuse. She's the director of Thrive! Family Support and author of...
Dear Hurting Parent, I Wish You Enough
I did not write this story. Someone sent it to me many years ago, but I don't know the source. Because of the impact on me, I saved it. Now I'm compelled to share the story once...
Can Parents in Pain Still be Grateful?
When a child suffers, their parents do too. When their suffering takes the form of substance abuse, mental illness, self-harm, suicide attempts, incarceration, or some other...
Parents with Broken Hearts Can Feel Crazy!
For years I lived my life in excrutiating emotional pain due to the self-destructive choices and struggles of one of my daughters. She suffered with mental health challenges and...
Advice From a Parent Coach: Natural Consequences Can Bring Change
Welcome guest blogger, certified parent and life coach Cathy Taughinbaugh. Cathy provides support for families who struggle with substance use. In this blog post she writes about...
A Parent’s Prayer on Hard Days
If you've been on a long, uphill journey with your child and today is a hard day, you've probably run out of ideas of how to pray. I did. Often my best prayer was the simplest,...
How Can Parents in Pain Correct Stinking Thinking?
Are you a parent who suffers from stinking thinking? Do you beat yourself up believing you must have done a terrible job because of how your child turned out? They abuse...
Defining Moments in Parenting
I trudged into my 12-year-old daughter’s bedroom after we’d had yet another argument to the shocking discovery of self-inflicted cuts up and down both of her forearms. My stomach...
Learning to Respond When Your Child Practices Self-Harm by Kirsten Panachyda
A Learned Response “Mom, I need your help.” Nicholas’s face looked drawn and pale. His left sleeve was pulled up and his right hand cupped the skin of his forearm. I took a deep...
Pondering the Long and Hard Seasons of Parenting
Welcome today's guest blogger, one of our teammates, Beth Denhof. Several years ago, after a hard season in my marriage, I sat with a good friend and mentor as I staggered...