Friendly Advocate or Flying Monkey? (Short)

When Our Adult Children Walk Away

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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 to the adult child on the parent's behalf.
I also hear stories about people taking it upon themselves to approach an adult child without the parent's involvement—to defend us, advocate for us, or encourage our adult children to "stop the madness."
The third scenario related to this topic involves parents recruiting, encouraging or requesting that a friend or family member approach their estranged child to advocate on their behalf.
Regardless of who, how or why people advocate for us, after a time, these efforts often end in more sadness and disappointment for the parent.

So, how can we make sense of it when advocacy on behalf of the parent’s does not bring the intended outcomes?

In this episode, I explore these three scenarios from the adult child's perspective. You'll hear some strategies for navigating all three, and I'll explain why ensuring a clear and direct path for communication between the adult child and estranged parent becomes essential.
This episode is a shorter introduction to the topic. For a deeper dive, you can find the expanded episode on the When Our Adult Children Walk Away website.

For more information, please go to https://www.WhenOurAdultChildrenWalkAway.com to find resources, strategies and tips to prepare to repair!

The continuum of estrangement discussed today can be found at https://www.togetherestranged.org/levels-of-estrangement.