Like A Mother

In this episode I share a recent experience that humbled me as a mom: My kids went to Europe with their dad for 2.5 weeks - our longest time apart by far. They didn't ask to call me once. Ouch. Yet brough to light how there is so much pressure for moms to to be a giant, constant and all-encompassing force in our kids' lives. That just isn't realistic -- or healthy. Kids need less of us, and more freedom and time with other loving adults.   Caller Shelley has four kids - just one, age 14 is still at home. The oldest just had twin daughters -- in another state. Shelley is compelled to spend tons of time with her new grandkids but worries about her obligation to her teen son. I help her understand how her own feelings of abandonment by her parents when SHE became a new mom have been stirred up, as well as tools she can use to set priorities and make sure her grown and almost-grown kids are all in her orbit.