The Parent Pivot Podcast

We are Steve and Julia Cummings and we are empty nesters who desire to maintain healthy relationship with our adult children. We have found that something needs to change in us, the parent, when our child becomes an adult. We need to ”pivot” from parenting, to partnering. What does that look like? When do I say something and when do I not? Why won’t they listen to me? We address these questions and host more in a real, raw an vulnerable way in real time. Tune in each week as we help you become a partner to your adult children. New podcast weblog

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Episodes

Tuesday Apr 30, 2024

We all do it.  We can't help it.  We choose hills to die on that we regret later and we ask ourselves, "Was it worth it?"
Choosing to bite our tongue and have relationship with our adult child(ren) over being right is key to pivoting well from "parent" to "partner." 
Join Steve and Julia on The Parent Pivot Podcast as they help us navigate the minefields that come up when our adult children like or do things we may not agree with.

Tuesday Apr 23, 2024

Pivoting from a parent to a partner comes with a mixture of emotions. You might feel down, lonely, or a bit unsure about what to do with all the new free time you suddenly have. It's a big change, after all. Your job as the parent has shifted, and now it's time to watch your adult children make their way in the world.
On this episode of The Parent Pivot Podcast, Steve and Julia shed some light on how we can navigate this season of life and become a help to our adult children at the same time. 
 
Be sure to check out the resources these recommended resources:
The Pause app.
Dwell app
Abide app
"Seven Desires: Looking Past What Separates Us to Learn What Connects Us" - by Mark Laaser.
 

Tuesday Apr 16, 2024

Life used to be so simple.  You grew up.  Went to college.  Got married.  Bought a house.  Raised your family. Worked for 30-40 years in the same place.  Retired.  Got a gold watch.  Played golf until you died.  We called it "The American Dream."
Today - life looks VERY different and fitting into this mold is no longer possible for 90% of the population. Pivoting to being a partner who speaks life into their adult children and their spouses just got more complicated and confusing.
On today's Parent Pivot Podcast, Steve and Julia welcome their son-in-law, Taylor Upchurch, to hear his story and how we can become an advocate for our in-law adult kids as they navigate life in a different culture than we grew up in.  (Psssst!  Don't miss this one!)
 
Resources mentioned on the podcast:
"Guardian Angel" by Skip Moen.
 

Tuesday Apr 09, 2024

Anxiety and control go hand in hand to destroy relationships and often times we are unaware of how our anxiety impacts our relationships with our adult child(ren).
On today's Parent Pivot Podcast, Steve and Julia reflect on what we can do to decrease our anxiety so that we can maintain healthy relationships and pivot well from parent to partner.
 

The Antagonistic Adult Child

Tuesday Apr 02, 2024

Tuesday Apr 02, 2024

If you google, "How to deal with an antagonistic adult children," quora.com will tell you:
     Avoid them. They're grown. You have no control over them or               their behavior. Focus on things you can control. Take good care of.       yourself.
Good thing you have The Parent Pivot Podcast to listen to!
On this episode, Steve and Julia will help you pivot with your antagonistic adult child in a way that shows them love and acceptance mixed in with a splash of curiosity and a dash of ownership to their childhood experiences. 
Resources mentioned on today's podcast:
1. "How We Love" by Miles and Kay Yerkovich
2. Take the RHETI Enneagram Test 
3. "The Road Back to You" by Ian Morgan Cron & Suzanne Stabile

Tuesday Mar 26, 2024

Your son or daughter has just gotten married, or is about to.  What does it look like to pivot from parent to partner with your new in-law kids?
On this episode of The Parent Pivot Podcast, Steve and Julia sit down with their daughter-in-law, Ashleigh Cummings, for a transparent and insightful interview from her perspective on marrying into a different family than the one she was raised in. 
You'll hear from her heart as she shares about what she needs from her in-laws, especially around having kids, and how we can become healthy partners for our adult in-law kids.  Don't miss this one! (I know we say that a LOT, but we really mean it this time!) 

Is Your Adult Child an HSP?

Tuesday Mar 19, 2024

Tuesday Mar 19, 2024

Pivoting well from parent to partner often times means taking a deeper look at things. 
On this episode of The Parent Pivot Podcast, Steve and Julia tell us first-hand about the highly sensitive person and what that looks like to help us pivot well to being a partner.  If your adult child is an HSP, and 20% of the population is, you won't want to miss this podcast.
Get a copy of "The Highly Sensitive Person" by Dr. Elaine Aron.

Tuesday Mar 12, 2024

It was bound to happen sooner or later.  We simply can't avoid it.  Our kids grow up and become adults and soon we find ourselves in an "empty nest."  Now what?
For some couples, one can make the transition quickly and the other one struggles greatly.  
How can we approach this new season of life and really, the rest of our lives, and make it as enjoyable as possible?
On this edition of The Parent Pivot Podcast, Steve and Julia show us how we can reinvent our relationship with our adult children and become the partners our adult kids need.  Don't miss it!
 
Get a copy of Jim Burns book, "Finding Joy in the Empty Nest,"
Check out Jim's course on "Doing Life with Your Adult. Children."

Seasons Come and Seasons Go.

Tuesday Mar 05, 2024

Tuesday Mar 05, 2024

Pivoting is never easy to do no matter what you're pivoting from and to.  It takes intentionality, courage, stepping outside your normal mode of thinking, and seeing life from a different perspective.
Pivoting from parent to partner with your adult children is no different.
Ecclesiastes 3:1 says,
                       "There is a time for everything, and a season
                         for every activity under the heavens."
On this episode of The Parent Pivot Podcast, Steve and Julia remind us that sometimes pivoting can take longer that we think or want.  What do we do when it seems our adult children are "taking too long to ___________?" (fill in the blank). Make it a point to listen and get some encouragement for your pivot!

Tuesday Feb 27, 2024

It happens to all of us at some time.  Our kids become adults.  Leave home.  Get married.  And all their stuff from childhood remains in our basements and garages.
What does that have to do with pivoting from parent to partner?
On this episode of The Parent Pivot podcast, we get an insight look at how Julia faced this recently and what this "emotional torture" taught her in her pivot to partner.

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