Are you a hurting parent?
If you are, you are not alone. I can understand. I know.
“Doc, my daughter wrote me off and asked me not to get in touch with her as soon as she landed a job overseas. It’s so painful. I sacrificed a lot for her so she could finish her studies and pass the board. I’m just too devastated by this,” cried Lorna, a working single Mom, during one of our Viber sessions.
A difficult separation contributed to the estrangement of Lorna’s daughter from her. Her ex, who had affairs that broke the marriage, showered her daughter with extravagant gifts while planting false beliefs in her brain.
Hurt. Guilt. Disruption. Loss. Pain. Disappointment. A betrayed parent’s constellation of hurt feelings can be overwhelming.
How about you? What is your story?
A difficult teenage or adult child who has a mental health condition? Is rude, disrespectful, rejecting? Addicted? Lazy, delinquent? Has broken or abusive relationships? Emotionally wounded? False beliefs planted by a dysfunctional spouse or ex? Cuts contact with you despite your love? Far away from God?
Dr. Joshua Coleman, author of “When Parents Hurt,” observed:
“My training as a psychologist taught me that the problems of the adult child can always be linked to some form of mistreatment from the parent. While this is often true, it doesn’t hold for all families. And when it is true, it’s often a far more complex picture than most therapists and self-help authors realize. It is possible to be a devoted and conscientious parent and still have it go badly. You can do everything right and your child can still grow up and not want to have the kind of relationship with you that you always hoped you’d have.”
Hurts heal and make you a stronger parent when told in the safe place, such as in a therapy session.
Most importantly, God is your safe place wherever you are, whatever you’re going through.
Are you a hurting parent?
Talk to Him. He’s waiting for you. He longs to heal and fill your heart and soul.
Pray for your children. They are safest in His loving, guiding hands.
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Photo: TripGuided
