DiscoverBite Your Tongue: The PodcastWhen They are Little, They Sit on your Lap: When They are Big, they Sit on Your Heart
When They are Little, They Sit on your Lap: When They are Big, they Sit on Your Heart

When They are Little, They Sit on your Lap: When They are Big, they Sit on Your Heart

Update: 2025-08-22
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This is one funny episode.
 
 Today we interview Susan Engel, a professor of psychology at Williams College and the author of the New York Times Article:  When They're Grown, The Real Pain Begins.   
 
Joining Denise as co-host is a dear friend Val Haller.  Val is the mother of four boys, very similar to the ages of Susan's boys when she wrote this article, so she is our perfect co-host.

Susan takes us through her journey when she wrote the article in 2012 and her three boys were 28, 25 and 19.  Today, ten years later,  she is a grandmother with two of these three boys married and living right next door.  Can you imagine?Some things we talk about:

  • Reconceptualizing the parent-adult child relationship as a relationship rather than a job that can be perfected
  • The value of passing on positive comments between family members while avoiding sharing criticisms
  • Finding comfort in knowing your adult children continue to grow, develop resilience, and build support networks beyond you
  • The importance of humility and acknowledging your own parenting mistakes
    Recognizing when to simply listen rather than trying to fix your adult child's problems

About Val Haller - our co-host:
Val lives in Chicago and is passionate about music.  She is the founder/CEO of the music website Valslist.com. She launched it about 10 years ago (when her nest was empty) and it is the first music site specifically created to help busy adults keep up with new music.  Check it out.

Huge thank you to Connie Gorant Fisher, our audio engineer.
Send all ideas to biteyourtonguepodcast@gmail.com. Remeber to follow us on Facebook and Instagram. Support US!  Visit our website at biteyourtonguepodcast.com and select SUPPORT US.  You can buy a "virtual" cup of coffee.

 



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When They are Little, They Sit on your Lap: When They are Big, they Sit on Your Heart

When They are Little, They Sit on your Lap: When They are Big, they Sit on Your Heart

Bite Your Tongue