My story. Reflecting my opinions and perspective - in my words. In the early spring of 2019, after several years of trying to sort through our erratic relationship - and under the influence of a gatekeeper partner - my (young) adult daughter made the difficult choice to cut all communication with our family. I know now that she tried for a very long time to get her messages across to me - years - without success. I remember times when she explained that she needed me to listen and know her b ...
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5 Common Mistakes Therapists Make When Working With Us - Estranged Parents
13:05
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13:05Hi Listeners. I'd love to hear from you. Send an email to Janet@jesteinkamp. It is not possible to respond to your Fan Mail posts directly. If you’re an estranged parent working with a therapist—or thinking about it—this episode is a must-listen. In this episode, I walk listeners through five common mistakes therapists make when working with us, th…
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Father’s Day in Silence: A Heart-to-Heart for Estranged Dads
18:53
18:53
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18:53Hi Listeners. I'd love to hear from you. Send an email to Janet@jesteinkamp. It is not possible to respond to your Fan Mail posts directly. This episode is especially for our dads experiencing some degree of estrangement from their adult child. Father’s Day is coming up—and if you're an estranged father, you know this day can land like a punch to t…
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Rebuilding Trust: How Estranged Moms Can Reconnect- Episode 2
24:15
24:15
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24:15Hi Listeners. I'd love to hear from you. Send an email to Janet@jesteinkamp. It is not possible to respond to your Fan Mail posts directly. This episode is a follow-up to our Mother's Day conversation—and it's all about what to do next. If you’ve been blamed, shut out, or accused of things that hurt to hear… this one’s for you. We’ll walk through h…
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Crossed Wires: The Role of Emotional Incest in Estrangement
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12:17Hi Listeners. I'd love to hear from you. Send an email to Janet@jesteinkamp. It is not possible to respond to your Fan Mail posts directly. Premier Content - Subscriber-only Episode Hi Listeners. I'd love to hear from you. Send an email to Janet@jesteinkamp. It is not possible to respond to your Fan Mail posts directly. This one’s tough—there’s no …
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When Mother’s Day Hurts: 10 Reasons Our Kids Pull Away
36:58
36:58
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36:58Hi Listeners. I'd love to hear from you. Send an email to Janet@jesteinkamp. It is not possible to respond to your Fan Mail posts directly. Mother’s Day can bring up a lot of emotional turmoil, can trigger our grief, and can shine a light on the empty chair at the dinner table - especially when your relationship with your adult child feels broken o…
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Managing High-Risk Days: How to Protect Your Heart, Mind and Future Relationship
15:21
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15:21Hi Listeners. I'd love to hear from you. Send an email to Janet@jesteinkamp. It is not possible to respond to your Fan Mail posts directly. Whether it's a holiday, birthday, or significant life event, high-risk days may – usually do - heighten the pain, loneliness and embarrassment of estrangement. In this episode of When Our Adult Children Walk Aw…
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Close But Different: Rejection vs Dejection
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20:51
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20:51Hi Listeners. I'd love to hear from you. Send an email to Janet@jesteinkamp. It is not possible to respond to your Fan Mail posts directly. If you’re experiencing some degree of estrangement, you have almost certainly experienced the sting of rejection and the emotional gut punch of dejection. When some part of our involvement in our relationship i…
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It's True, Mom's and Dad's Experience and Navigate Estrangement Differently (Short)
10:07
10:07
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10:07Hi Listeners. I'd love to hear from you. Send an email to Janet@jesteinkamp. It is not possible to respond to your Fan Mail posts directly. In this episode, we dig into some of the differences and similarities of how moms and dads tell us they experience and navigate estrangement. Yes, dads and moms often experience estrangement differently. And, i…
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Reasons 1 - 10; 20 Reasons Walking on Egg Shells is a Gift (Extended)
34:48
34:48
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34:48Hi Listeners. I'd love to hear from you. Send an email to Janet@jesteinkamp. It is not possible to respond to your Fan Mail posts directly. 20 Reasons Walking on Egg Shells is a Gift - A Deep Dive Into Reasons 1-10 (Extended) Walking on Eggshells is a concept we use to describe the extreme hypersensitivity parents feel when their relationship with …
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The "Let Them Go" Movement and It's Distant Cousin "Let Them Go - Good Riddance" (Short)
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8:08Hi Listeners. I'd love to hear from you. Send an email to Janet@jesteinkamp. It is not possible to respond to your Fan Mail posts directly. The "Let Them Go" movement grew out of the emerging phenomenon of parental and family estrangement. Originally the movement was based on positive acceptance, open minded awareness, and love. This movement empha…
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Stop The Noise! The 20 Gifts of Walking on Eggshells (Short)
8:15
8:15
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8:15Hi Listeners. I'd love to hear from you. Send an email to Janet@jesteinkamp. It is not possible to respond to your Fan Mail posts directly. Walking on Eggshells is a concept we use to describe the extreme hypersensitivity parents feel when their relationship with their adult child is faltering. It means being hyper-aware or fearful of saying or doi…
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6 Tips to Proactively Give Space to Your Adult Child and Avoid Misrepresentation
17:04
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17:04Hi Listeners. I'd love to hear from you. Send an email to Janet@jesteinkamp. It is not possible to respond to your Fan Mail posts directly. In this episode, I discuss six tips that will proactively ensure you give space to your adult child and avoid misrepresentation by others. This topic is a continuation of discussions about communication, how to…
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Is the Sky Really Falling? How to Avoid the Habit of Catastrophizing
19:37
19:37
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19:37Hi Listeners. I'd love to hear from you. Send an email to Janet@jesteinkamp. It is not possible to respond to your Fan Mail posts directly. In this episode, we consider avoiding or getting out of the habit of catastrophizing. You might be saying, “Hasn’t the worst already happened?” I suggest that it hasn’t. Or, maybe it’s more accurate to say that…
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Cracking the Busy Body Code: Managing Your Message
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24:16Hi Listeners. I'd love to hear from you. Send an email to Janet@jesteinkamp. It is not possible to respond to your Fan Mail posts directly. In this episode, we crack the Busy Body Code. I share several easy strategies to manage a busy body by controlling your message. You can protect your privacy, ensuring that more energy can focus on maintaining …
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Hi Listeners. I'd love to hear from you. Send an email to Janet@jesteinkamp. It is not possible to respond to your Fan Mail posts directly. So often, people who love and support us are also in contact with or know our distancing or estranged adult child. I'm often asked whether it is "a good idea" or "will it work" to have one of these people talk …
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What the H@!! are they talking about? Reproductive Memory vs Reconstructive Memory (Definitions and Differences) Short
5:01
5:01
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5:01Hi Listeners. I'd love to hear from you. Send an email to Janet@jesteinkamp. It is not possible to respond to your Fan Mail posts directly. Memory distortion is common in our human experience. It can be particularly relevant in crumbling relationships between parents and their adult children. Too often, what were once happy or benign memories morph…
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Note to Self: 10 Daily Tips to Keep You in the Parent-Partner Lane
16:51
16:51
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16:51Hi Listeners. I'd love to hear from you. Send an email to Janet@jesteinkamp. It is not possible to respond to your Fan Mail posts directly. A few years ago, in the middle years of our family's estrangement from my adult daughter and grandchildren, I adopted the phrase "Parent Partner.” I borrowed the term from the early days of divorcing parents (r…
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What, When and How: Apologize or Explain (Extended)
17:31
17:31
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17:31Hi Listeners. I'd love to hear from you. Send an email to Janet@jesteinkamp. It is not possible to respond to your Fan Mail posts directly. In healthy and effective communication, the strategic use of apologies and explanations can significantly influence the outcome and effectiveness of our efforts to manage potential rifts in our relationships. B…
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What's the Difference? Apology and Explanation (Short)
4:39
4:39
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4:39Hi Listeners. I'd love to hear from you. Send an email to Janet@jesteinkamp. It is not possible to respond to your Fan Mail posts directly. In healthy and effective communication, the strategic use of apologies and explanations can significantly influence the outcome and effectiveness of our efforts to manage potential rifts in our relationships. B…
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8 Healthy and Emotionally Charged Realities of Letting Go
17:28
17:28
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17:28Hi Listeners. I'd love to hear from you. Send an email to Janet@jesteinkamp. It is not possible to respond to your Fan Mail posts directly. Parenting doesn't end when our children grow into adulthood; it just evolves into a different phase with its own set of challenges. Parents often struggle with letting their children become independent adults. …
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What is the Difference: Gas lighting vs Reframing
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9:56
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9:56Hi Listeners. I'd love to hear from you. Send an email to Janet@jesteinkamp. It is not possible to respond to your Fan Mail posts directly. The concept of gaslighting has become a common term over the past few years. So what is it and why is it that our adult children are quick to accuse parents of gaslighting? Gaslighting is when someone says some…
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8 Things Our Adult Children Consider Before Leaving or Reconnecting
19:34
19:34
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19:34Hi Listeners. I'd love to hear from you. Send an email to Janet@jesteinkamp. It is not possible to respond to your Fan Mail posts directly. Estrangement is most accurately defined as a continuum of distancing. Estrangement in families refers to voluntarily or involuntarily distancing oneself from one or more family members or loved ones, usually du…
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What is the Difference: Independence or Estrangement
8:45
8:45
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8:45Hi Listeners. I'd love to hear from you. Send an email to Janet@jesteinkamp. It is not possible to respond to your Fan Mail posts directly. https://www.whenouradultchildrenwalkaway.com/about One of the most frequent questions I'm asked is, "How do I know if my child is cutting ties and wants to be estranged?" Why is it important to understand the d…
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The Continuum of Estrangement - Where does your relationship sit?
13:10
13:10
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13:10Hi Listeners. I'd love to hear from you. Send an email to Janet@jesteinkamp. It is not possible to respond to your Fan Mail posts directly. Determining the level of estrangement between you and your adult child can involve some introspection and assessment of your relationship dynamics. Are you asking yourself questions like: What is the Continuum …
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5 Imposters: The Anatomy of an Authentic Apology
22:00
22:00
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22:00Hi Listeners. I'd love to hear from you. Send an email to Janet@jesteinkamp. It is not possible to respond to your Fan Mail posts directly. For parents and adult children experiencing some level of estrangement (see the Continuum of Estrangment link below) understanding what an authentic apology means can be pivotal in repairing their differences. …
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Estrangement Grief - Stage 6 - Maintenance
17:04
17:04
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17:04Hi Listeners. I'd love to hear from you. Send an email to Janet@jesteinkamp. It is not possible to respond to your Fan Mail posts directly. In this episode, Dr. Steinkamp presents the sixth stage of Estrangement Grief. During the stage of maintenance - Maintenance. In this stage, we have embraced some of the changes we chose to make in our lives af…
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Estrangement Grief - Stage 5 - Transformation
16:21
16:21
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16:21Hi Listeners. I'd love to hear from you. Send an email to Janet@jesteinkamp. It is not possible to respond to your Fan Mail posts directly. The transformation stage of grief in the context of estrangement typically refers to the process of adapting and finding meaning after experiencing the loss of a relationship with a close family member, friend,…
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Estrangement Grief - Stage 4 - Acceptance
18:39
18:39
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18:39Hi Listeners. I'd love to hear from you. Send an email to Janet@jesteinkamp. It is not possible to respond to your Fan Mail posts directly. The acceptance stage of estrangement grief is one of the phases individuals may go through when experiencing the pain and emotional turmoil associated with being estranged from a family member or significant ot…
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Hi Listeners. I'd love to hear from you. Send an email to Janet@jesteinkamp. It is not possible to respond to your Fan Mail posts directly. In this – the 3rd stage in my estrangement grief model, we sit in Despair. In the Despair stage, our primary experience and emotions include agony, hopelessness, depression, rejection, lack of joy and happiness…
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Hi Listeners. I'd love to hear from you. Send an email to Janet@jesteinkamp. It is not possible to respond to your Fan Mail posts directly. [This episode was recorded and produced in November of 2023. It was published and distributed in January of 2024. The content is applicable to all holiday celebrations and gatherings. Our apologies for the dela…
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Houston We Have a Problem! Are Parents Scrubbing the Launch?
14:07
14:07
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14:07Hi Listeners. I'd love to hear from you. Send an email to Janet@jesteinkamp. It is not possible to respond to your Fan Mail posts directly. Remember the 2006 comedy Failure to Launch, starring Sarah Jessica Parker and Mathew McConaughey? I found it pretty easy to identify with Kathy Bates, who plays the mom (Terry Bradshaw plays the dad) – of a son…
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Hi Listeners. I'd love to hear from you. Send an email to Janet@jesteinkamp. It is not possible to respond to your Fan Mail posts directly. In this episode, we take a deep dive into the 2nd stage of my model of estrangement grief - Anger. This and the other five stages are uniquely related to crumbling relationships between family members. The prim…
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Hi Listeners. I'd love to hear from you. Send an email to Janet@jesteinkamp. It is not possible to respond to your Fan Mail posts directly. Unlike other models and theories, I refer to the first stage of grief in estrangement as Disbelief. In the stage of Disbelief, our primary experiences include shock, panic, overwhelming doubt, denial, minimizin…
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6 Stages of Estrangement Grief - An Overview - Episode 1 of 7
18:13
18:13
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18:13Hi Listeners. I'd love to hear from you. Send an email to Janet@jesteinkamp. It is not possible to respond to your Fan Mail posts directly. Are you cycling through your emotions at warp speed? Are you angry in one moment and crippled by sadness in the next? Are you feeling helpless and hopeless? Wondering if life will ever be good again? Are you em…
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5 Signs Your Relationship with Your Adult Child Is Unraveling – The Yin and Yang of Estrangement
18:04
18:04
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18:04Hi Listeners. I'd love to hear from you. Send an email to Janet@jesteinkamp. It is not possible to respond to your Fan Mail posts directly. Is your relationship with your adult child falling apart? Are things between you changing, but you can't quite understand why? Are you looking for ways you can stop the unraveling without making things worse? H…
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Wait! What? You're leaving?! Does this mean we're estranged?
12:50
12:50
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12:50Hi Listeners. I'd love to hear from you. Send an email to Janet@jesteinkamp. It is not possible to respond to your Fan Mail posts directly. Is your adult child walking away? Did you miss the warning signs? How can you make sure it doesn't get worse? In this episode, I will define estrangement and we will get familiar with the continuum of estrangem…
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Hi Listeners. I'd love to hear from you. Send an email to Janet@jesteinkamp. It is not possible to respond to your Fan Mail posts directly. Hello Sweet Parents, Welcome to the When Our Adult Children Walk Away Podcast. I invite you to join me for a series of episodes in which we dig deep into the challenges today's parents face as we navigate the e…
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