As I have journeyed down the road of painful parenting with a child who has struggled with many troubles: addiction, self-harm, mental health issues, sexual trauma, and suicide...
Embarassment and Shame Isolate Parents in Pain
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addiction
A Special Message to Parents Affected by the Parkland School Shooting
My husband and I want to express our deepest sympathies to the families who lost a child (or were impacted in some way) by the Parkland school shooting. Our hearts are heavy for...
10 Promises For Depressed Parents
Tragedies occur every day. Drug overdoses and addiction. Self-harm and suicide attempts. They're both at an all-time high. Mental health diagnoses are rampant, with the majority...
A Hurting Parent’s Christmas Wish List
As the mother of a daughter who has wrestled with addictions, self-injury, mental illness, and suicidal tendencies my wants during the holidays are few. If I could be a child...
What Parents Need to Know About Suicide
September is Suicide Prevention Awareness Month. I'm doing a series on the subject over the next four weeks and will post more frequently. Today's post is for parents whose sons...
Hurricane Harvey and Hurting Parents
Category 4 Hurricane Harvey inundated parts of Texas, Arkansas, and Louisiana last week with strong winds and over 20 trillion gallons of water - enough to fill up Lake...
10 Things God Wants to do for Your Troubled Child
Over six years ago my granddaughter was born 10 weeks early. Since she was a preemie, she spent the first couple of months of her life in an incubator. It helped sustain her...
Interview with Mom of Former Heroin Addict
Welcome to my blog struggling mom, dad, step-parent or grandparent. Today's blog is a true story. It's an interview with a mom whose adult son was a heroin addict. He also...
Interview with the Parents of a Former Prodigal Son
Do you wish you could sit down with a parent who’s further down the road of difficult parenting than you? You'd pepper them with questions and hope to glean something...
Five Things Parents of Addicts Need to Remember
This is a letter from an addict who didn't make it. She was somebody's daughter - their pride and joy . . . a long time ago. She wrote this letter to her sister. The family...
Five Things a Parent Can Do to Point the Way for Their Troubled Child
These comments were shared by Linda Dahl*, the mom of an addict, after her daughter's relapse. Linda vulnerably shared insights she’s gained along the way. Even if your child...
Six Ways Troubled Parents can Stay Emotionally Healthy
How can you stay emotionally healthy when your child is troubled? My daughter was losing her battle with addiction, mental illness and self-injury. She was an adult. I had done...