The Almost Empty Nest—Letting Go, Redefined: Parenting Teens and Finding Yourself Again—with Small Jar Coach
Are you stuck between wanting to guide your teen or college kid and knowing it’s time to start letting go? Welcome to The Almost Empty Nest Podcast, where moms of teens and college kids reframe what ‘letting go’...
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Episodes
“I Miss Being Needed”—Thoughts Moms Parenting Teens Are Ashamed They Think | Ep. 188
Do you ever miss being needed by your big kid?
When I think about the empty nest, and even those times when my boys were still at home, what surprises me most isn’t just the quiet house or the extra time on my hands....
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Parenting Teens through Screen Time Struggles—The Phone Is Not the Only Problem | Ep. 187
If you’ve ever caught yourself staring at your teen glued to their phone—ignoring you, zoning out, lost in a scroll—and thought, “This can’t be good,” this episode is for you.
Today I’m digging into what’s really...
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“My Teen Walks All Over Me”—Thoughts Moms Parenting Teens Are Ashamed They Think | Ep. 186
Have you ever had the thought, “My teen walks all over me”… and then instantly felt ashamed for even thinking it? It's actually more like: If my own kid can treat me this way, what does that say about me? You're not...
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Invisible Contracts We Use When Parenting Teens—How To Stop Feeling So Let Down | Ep. 185
Have you ever felt frustrated with your teen? (Or maybe I should be saying, who hasn’t?!)
As moms of teens and almost empty nesters, we naturally carry expectations about how our kids should act — and most of the...
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“I Should Be More Grateful”—Thoughts Moms Parenting Teens Are Ashamed They Think | Ep. 184
“I should be grateful.”
As moms, we often feel this pressure to always be thankful. It's almost like we use gratitude as a way to push away other feelings. It’s as if admitting to sadness, worry, or even loneliness...
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The Emotional Overwhelm of Parenting Teens and the Empty Nest—When Life Just Feels Heavy | Ep. 183
What if letting go in motherhood was never meant to feel easy — but it was always meant to grow you?
As moms, whether we’re parenting teens or entering the empty nest, we’re asked to let go again and again. And it...
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“The House Is So Quiet”—Thoughts Moms Parenting Teens Are Ashamed They Think | Ep. 182
The house is so quiet.
If you’ve ever had that thought — and then immediately felt sadness, disorientation, or even shame — you’re not alone. In this episode, I share what it felt like to walk back into my home after...
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Emotional Outsourcing: When Your Teen's Mood Controls Yours - Trap #13 | Ep. 181
Do you ever feel like your emotions rise and fall with your teen’s? If they’re stressed, you’re stressed. If they’re in a bad mood, suddenly you are too. It can feel like parenting teens or navigating the empty nest...
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“Thank God They're Back in School”—Thoughts Moms Parenting Teens Are Ashamed They Think | Ep. 180
Ever felt secretly relieved when your bid kid went back to school—and then immediately guilty for thinking that? You’re not alone. But even as you think, "Thank God they’re back in school."—you can feel this sense of...
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Letting Go of How Your Teen Reaches Their Potential | Ep. 179
What if the way you’re thinking about your teen’s success is actually making life harder for both of you? We put so much pressure on ourselves to parent our kids in the "right" way. We want our kids to be safe, happy,...
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“My Teen Is Entitled”—Thoughts Moms Parenting Teens Are Ashamed They Think | Ep. 178
Have you ever caught yourself thinking, “My teen is so entitled,” and then immediately felt terrible for even thinking it? You’re not alone. This episode is part of my series on the thoughts moms parenting teens and...
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The Real Emotions Behind the Empty Nest—Is It Sadness, Emptiness, or Something Else? | Ep. 177
What if the emotions of the empty nest aren’t as simple as just sadness? In this episode, I open up about the real layers we experience as moms parenting teens and launching them into their next chapter. The truth is,...
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