Ep. 34: When They Stop Reaching for Your Hand: Letting Go Without Losing Them

🔥 Podcast Summary:

🥲 Remember the first time they reached for your hand? What happens when they stop? In this powerful episode, Matt and Alona explore the raw, heart-tugging transitions every parent faces — when our kids pull away, grow up, and evolve beyond our rituals.

💔 A mom grieves the end of morning hair-braiding — until a quiet tea ritual emerges. A dad wrestles with his son’s refusal to hold hands. And a parent mourns the disconnect from their newlywed daughter, questioning who they even are now. These aren't just stories — they’re mirrors.

🧠 What if the key to staying close isn't holding on, but learning how to let go — with presence, with grace, and with open-hearted curiosity?

🎯 Challenging moments that’ll make you pause:

• A parent admits: “I don’t know who I am without being her mom.”
• The grief behind “just a hug” instead of butterfly kisses in public.
• Letting go of the sports dream when your child couldn’t care less.

💬 Have a Kinectin Account? Explore these Nudges to see how they apply to your own life — in a way only Amari can:

• My child used to open up to me all the time — now I’m lucky if I get a word. I miss our connection, but I don’t want to push them away. How do I show up differently?

• I always dreamed of sharing my love of sports with my kid, but he’s just not into it. I feel like I’m mourning the bond I imagined. How do I let go of my dream and support his?

• My son just left for college and I can’t stop replaying everything I didn’t do. I feel haunted by the thought I wasn’t enough. How do I move forward without guilt?

What is Amari?
webe Parents has partnered with Kinectin to bring you Amari, your personal AI coach. Now you can interact with the ideas from our podcasts, articles, and parenting tips — and Amari will help you apply them directly to your personal life. Learn more at webe Kinectin. 

To learn more about what Alona & Matt are up to check us out at webeparents.com, or follow us on our socials at Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, or YouTube. Be sure to subscribe to webe Pärents wherever you listen to your favorite podcasts.

Transcript

WBP 134 | Letting Go Letters | Podcast

[00:00:00] 

Alona: Hey there. We'd love for you to hit that subscribe button by subscribing, you're helping us spread the word and connect with more amazing people like you. 

Host: Welcome to webe Parents, where parent doctors, Matthew Lederman and alone pull day, explore current parenting topics, share stories, and help bring families closer together.

Alona: Welcome back to webe Parents. Where we go beyond the surface. To explore the deep, rich, sometimes messy layers of parenting. Hi, I am Dr. Alon Poe. 

Matt: And hi, I'm Dr. Matthew Lederman, 

Alona: and today we're gonna continue our exploration of the most constant thing in parenting change. 

Matt: Before we jump in, please don't forget to subscribe.

Matt: If these conversations help you breathe a little deeper, reflect a little more show up for your family in new and exciting ways, hit that subscribe button. It really helps us. Staying connected as we journey through all of the [00:01:00] seasons of parenting together. Thank you for doing that. 

Alona: Love it. So last week we redefined the parenting journey as one of constant evolution, letting go while holding on.

Alona: We challenged the idea that stability is the goal and instead offered emotional flexibility as the true skill for navigating parenting. And we talked about and introduced the tool, which was the seasons of self and child. Um, maybe that's something that you can go back to, just to give our listeners today a refresh.

Alona: But it really helps. The, the tool really helps parents name their own season along their childs hold space for both grief and gratitude, create meaning, rituals, and accept the evolution of change ultimately. 

Matt: Yeah, it's, it's so helpful to just [00:02:00] practice these steps of naming both seasons. Um. Identifying the growth.

Matt: Well, 

Alona: maybe we could talk a little bit about seasons. I'm realizing we didn't define seasons for any new listeners. We have. 

Matt: Well, we'll have that'll just make them go back and listen. And that's true. So we're gonna, we're doing that strategically. Ha ha, 

Alona: ha ha, ha. 

Matt: Um, but so seasons is, is thinking about the changes that people go through, whether you're children or adults, as kids are getting older.

Alona: Yeah. 

Matt: You wanna give some examples? 

Alona: Like seeking connection. A season of seeking connection when they're younger, a season of learning to be independent as they get older. 

Matt: Testing limits, 

Alona: testing limits, 

Matt: and as a parent learning to let go, learning to trust that they're gonna be safe, even though you're not next to them at all times.

Matt: Cultivating patience, figuring out your identity as your, um, the needs from you as a mom or a [00:03:00] dad. Start to shift. 

Alona: Mm-hmm. 

Matt: So we think we call those seasons just because like seasons, they're changing, they're coming and then they go. Mm-hmm. And we don't want to try and hold on to one season, um, and, and avoid the, the growth and the movement that happens naturally.

Matt: So there's naming both seasons. There's identifying the growing edge, uh, what feels uncomfortable in this season for you and for the child. There's then holding grief and gratitude together. We can grieve the loss. Mm-hmm. And we can have gratitude for what's new. We can find, then we can find a shared ritual that works for this season and then speak that season aloud and talk about where we're at and what's changed, and then repeat this process.

Matt: I talked about the ritual of, for me, with connection around making pancakes and how that was, we would make pancakes together as kids, and I remember that fondly with my [00:04:00] dad. But as they got older, they didn't wanna make pancakes anymore, so I didn't hold onto that ritual to meet needs for connection. But then they started wanting to do other things together.

Matt: Mm-hmm. So, right. So I wasn't trying to hold onto the old season, but I was meeting needs for this, where they were in their development as they got older 

Alona: by creating new rituals, 

Matt: new rituals, supporting the new season

Host: headlines and heartlines. 

Alona: So I'm gonna start with a success story. A new ritual emerges. A mom mourned the days her daughter asks her to braid her hair every morning. Now she's in high school and doesn't need mom in the same way anymore. They started making tea together at night, A quiet ritual where they don't need to talk, but they share the same space and the mom refers to it as her new braid.

Alona: Oh, and I love that because [00:05:00] it's really flowing with. Just like you said with, with the seasons and finding the rituals that make sense at that time. Um, and if you continue to be stuck on braiding a six year old's hair, when you've got a 16-year-old, you're gonna be missing the opportunities for new connections and new rituals.

Alona: And there's beauty, you know, you talked about the elu, the changing seasons, but there's beauty in every season. 

Matt: And it also takes the pressure off the child who's like, I, I know my mom likes this, so I'm gonna do it for her, even though I don't really want her to braid my hair. So she's doing it out of obligation and the mom is, can sense that it's, there's something off, but they don't, you know, that she doesn't know how to get the connection any other way.

Matt: So this is really cool to say I really have a need for connection, but I want to u use a strategy. That meets your needs [00:06:00] and mine. And if braiding your hair doesn't meet a need for, for care and connection and contributing to you, what would, and that's to me, what's beautiful is being open to new strategies to meet those same needs.

Matt: 'cause the needs don't change. We always have a need for connection. How we wanna meet that need for connection will change. 

Alona: And the more that you in, uh, invite your kid, make it comfortable to evolve, the more you invite your kids to suggest and share rituals. For example, our girls know I love to read and I used to read to them all the time and they got to a point where they didn't want me to read to them anymore, but they knew how re how much?

Alona: Reading was important to me. And so they came with the idea of now they're gonna read to me and we can both still be experiencing these stories together, but in a very different way. And it doesn't always have to be like, this mom, you know, went from braiding hair [00:07:00] to making tea. I'm curious in that story, if.

Alona: There's magic in braid hair, but there's also that opportunity while you're braid hair to be talking to your child and learning how to do that in this ritual of having tea together at night. 

Matt: Exactly. I like that. 

Alona: Very beautiful.

Matt: So should we share a challenge story? 

Alona: Absolutely. 

Matt: Here's my 8-year-old son, stopped reaching for my hand in public. It hit me harder than I expected. I wanted to pull back, but I also didn't wanna lose him. So how do I hold on with without smothering him? And this is one of those subtle shifts that feels like a loss.

Matt: But what if instead of grasping for the same connection, we open ourselves to the the new ways that they wanna connect. I think that's what I was talking about before, which is. Maybe it's not the handholding, maybe [00:08:00] it's the eye contact now. Maybe it's a shared laugh. Maybe it's an inside joke. Are there other ways to connect?

Matt: So get very clear about the needs and not so attached to the strategy and nonviolent communication. We always talk about being strongly attached to the needs, loosely attached to the strategy, and that is super helpful in these situations. 

Alona: Mm-hmm. Yeah. And it does hit you hard. You know, it makes me think of, uh, when I would pick up the girls from school and I would hug them and smother them with kisses.

Alona: And I remember them telling me, mom, that's embarrassing now. You know? Whereas when they were younger, it was something that lit them up. And just connecting to, oh, they're older and that's embarrassing for them, but they still take a hug and boy, does that feel nice? Yeah. And I can kiss them when we're alone in the car, you know?

Alona: [00:09:00] Um, 

Matt: I think that's helpful. That's a perfect example when, mm-hmm. When I'm driving with them. They used to be fine with me kissing them, giving them big hugs before they go into school. Mm-hmm. And now they don't necessarily want that. Mm-hmm. But I'll, but I've said to them, would you like me? I'd, I'd love a hug and a kiss if you're willing.

Matt: Would you like me to stop the car before we get to school? 

Speaker 13: Mm-hmm. 

Matt: And, or we can do it over here, or would you like just a hug? Or is it okay if I hug you? So there's all different things. You know, if, if I forget to do it before we get to school, sometimes we can do it before we get in the car who says you have to do it right when you get to school.

Matt: So they love the fact that we're trying to do it in a way that meets their needs. So they also wanna care for our needs. 

Alona: Absolutely. Absolutely. It makes me think of that song, butterfly Kisses. Henry's talking about how his daughter's growing and involving as she's getting ready for her wedding day. And yeah, that one line where she is now, 16, not little anymore, [00:10:00] and I.

Alona: She says, I'm only gonna kiss you on the cheek this time. And I think every parent can, you know, feel that that transition of, uh, of them growing up and them being their own person and them wanting and craving some independence and mutuality around their, uh, adulthood or, you know, growing out of childhood and being recognized for that.

Alona: So, yeah, it's, it's beau it it's the, the gratitude and the beauty and the mourning. Yeah. And holding both. In that is the opportunity to get creative around new and beautiful rituals. 

Commercial (Amari)

Alona: So if you've been listening to us for a while, you know, we get a lot of questions about what to do in tricky parenting or relationship moments.

Matt: Yeah. And if I'm being real, I'm asking alone those same questions all [00:11:00] the time. I get into those same tricky moments as everybody else does, and as much as we wish we could be there for each other in those exact moments, we just can't always 

Alona: be. Be. Yeah. That's why we partnered with the amazing team at Connection to create something.

Alona: We truly believe in an AI coach called Amari. And we didn't just lend our names, we helped build it and train it and brought in everything we've learned about emotional healing, connection, and communication. 

Matt: Yeah, we spent years training and learning, and we've created Amari, who's so calm and grounded.

Matt: Listens deeply and responds with warmth, clarity, and compassion. There's no judgment, no reactivity. In fact, we tasked our children with trying to get Amari reactive and they still haven't succeeded. It's just steady support when you need it most. 

Alona: I. We use it ourselves all the time, especially when we feel stuck or overwhelmed.

Alona: And Amari's really helped [00:12:00] us pause, reflect, given us insight that helps us come back to each other. 

Matt: Yeah, we designed Amari to help you strengthen the relationships that matter most, starting with the one you have with yourself. 

Alona: And we are so excited that you can try it now@webeparents.com and click on we be connecting with a k.

Alona: To sign up and when you have your Amari moment, please let us know as we'd love to hear about it.

Re-intro

Alona: I have another challenge story. A mother's identity crisis. My daughter recently got married and I feel devastated for so long. Being her mother felt like my identity. Now, who am I to her?

Alona: Who am I to myself? I think this is a question many of us have as our children evolve and grow more independent is, you know, you, you described it beautifully [00:13:00] last time. Maybe you can share that story again about your mom when you went off to college and. W there's a redefining of of who we are in, in relation to them.

Matt: Yeah. And when I went, when I went off to before I was leaving for college, my mom was crying and saying, you know, she's really sad. And I asked her what she's sad about and she said, well, you don't need me anymore. And I said, well, it's not that I don't need you anymore, it's just I need you in a different way.

Matt: And she said that that really helped her, really helped reassure her. 

Alona: How mature of you. Yeah. I mean really. But yeah, parenthood shapes and defines us for such a long stretch of time. Um, but you go from mommy to mom to, you know, and, and all of these evolutions, um, are part of the journey. Do you wanna move on to letters from our listeners?

Matt: Let's do it. Let's do it. [00:14:00] So the first one we are gonna do is I have a 16-year-old daughter who used to tell me everything. Now I'm lucky if I get a full sentence. I know she needs space, but I miss our connection. How do I show up without pushing her away? 

Alona: Hmm. What a great question. I think the, you know, I think this is where the tool that you shared is super helpful in naming the season.

Alona: You know, the best thing that a parent can do in this situation is not to take that personally, right? Is to be able to, in the same way that she needs some space, create enough space to. To give some self empathy because there's grief in that to own that there's grief in that, but that grief does not indicate that something was lost or that something.

Alona: Now, you know, something good is gone and something bad. Or [00:15:00] wrong is, is present instead. It's something great. Yeah. She shared everything with me and what a blessing that was at the time. And now we're in a new time, A time where she's seeking independence, where she's figuring out who she is and where she needs a space to be encouraged and invited to do that.

Alona: And how, as a parent, can you. Connect through support, through silent acceptance, through, uh, you know, the creative, creative way. Little notes that go on the mirror just to remind her that you're there. Um, but still honoring her space and not, um, not requiring her to speak should she not want to. 

Matt: Yeah, I like, I like that where you're checking in and not being attached to it, having to be the same way.

Matt: I also think when somebody is choosing not to talk, they're still trying to meet needs. [00:16:00] So I believe that everything people are doing is to meet needs. Everything they're thinking is to meet needs. And if we can get curious about what needs they're trying to meet, it helps us as well. So for example, if the daughter doesn't want to talk now, it could be simply.

Matt: I just wanna be to myself like you're saying. So it's self-care. It could also be, hey, when I do bring sta stuff up, maybe the person shifts the conversation and tells a story about themselves. Or maybe they give advice or maybe they tell them, you know, with, with, uh, sort of correct them. Well, you know, the reason you're having that problem is because of this.

Matt: So they've learned to not speak because it doesn't meet their needs. So I think there's, there's an opportunity here also to check, Hey, I'm wondering if there's something that I'm doing that's making it uncomfortable, or even don't even bring that up. You can just think to [00:17:00] yourself and reflect. 

Alona: Mm-hmm. 

Matt: So I think before we assume that it's just a stage or a season, there's also an opportunity to check in because a lot of kids that were brought up in that authoritarian.

Matt: Household as a lot of us were taught as parents, from our parents to, that's the right way to to parent. They go from submission to rebellion and they've been submitting for so long that they then say, Hey, I don't have to listen anymore. I don't have to talk anymore. So I think there's an opportunity also to check in and make sure that dynamic doesn't need tending to.

Alona: Yeah. And if that dynamic exists, I love, I love, um, naming that and if that. Dynamic does exist. Strongly encourage parents to listen to the Heart Hug episode because I think that tool is such a gift to children who want to [00:18:00] connect but are nervous about feedback or advice or, um, kind of being trampled over.

Alona: Um. And so, yes, that wa that's a great reminder. 

Matt: And to be intentional, like you said, with the heart hug, which is giving empathy to let them know that you're gonna do that. Mm-hmm. So you can say, Hey, if you share something about school, I've learned this new th thing about just giving a heart hug, being present.

Matt: I don't want to give you advice or ask probing questions. I just wanna give you empathy and let you know that I'm present with you. Mm-hmm. And the heart hug is a fantastic way to do that. Where you're basically listening and reflecting back what you're hearing and just being there with them, and you can practice that.

Matt: And I think there's opportunities when you're driving or cooking or whatever you're doing together to do that, but name it with them so that they are aware that you're trying to show up differently. Should that be an issue? 

Alona: Yeah. And [00:19:00] I love that you named cooking and driving because those are examples of side by side connections where you don't have to have conversation.

Alona: You can be listening to music together, you're engaged in, in creating a dish together. Um, and so you're together, but you're honoring the desire for space as well. 

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Alona: [00:20:00] Here's another one. My son just left for college. And while I'm so proud of him, I'm haunted by the feeling that I didn't do enough, that I missed something crucial. How do I stop replaying the past and start trusting the future? 

Matt: Hmm. So how do I stop replaying the past, start trusting the future, and there's just this worry, this, this sort of.

Matt: Under to of I didn't do enough. I wasn't a good enough parent. 

Alona: And again, that connection to I didn't do enough. Meaning some something is now wrong, sitting in just the grief rather than holding the grief and the gratitude of. Thinking that you didn't do enough is not a sign of failure. It's a deep sign of care.

Alona: It's a questioning of that care as they go off on their own, and you are [00:21:00] redefining your relationship and connection. 

Matt: So it's really coming from a part that wants to make sure you contributed fully. Or as fully as possible to your child and see some missed opportunities potentially. Mm-hmm. And feel some sadness around a missed opportunity to contribute to your child.

Alona: Mm-hmm. 

Matt: And, and I think coming from that, from that needs-based consciousness of, oh, I'm just feeling a little sadness, there was some missed opportunities to contribute. Doesn't mean you didn't contribute, it doesn't mean you were a good or a bad parent. It just means you're really connecting. To a desire to have contributed one more time or however many times.

Alona: Yes. And that's where practicing and holding both grief and gratitude. Oh, I'm, I'm sad about maybe I, you know, I'm sad about the thought that maybe I could have done more, but boy am I really connecting [00:22:00] to how proud I am for my son's independence. 

Matt: Yeah. And, and when you do that, it it, it does what we talk about, which is the, the question said, how do I stop replaying the past and start trusting the future That's trying to make that part of you that's feeling grief.

Matt: Be quiet. And we all know who, if we have crying children, if we try to shut them up, they cry louder. And it's the same thing here. If you have a part of you that is grieving. That is upset. It needs empathy and compassion and soothing, and then that part will start to calm down and then you can naturally move into the future.

Matt: So it's a little counterintuitive here, 

Alona: and I love that you use the word move because I think to some degree it's an unrealistic expectation to not reflect on the past and, um, and [00:23:00] expect to trust the future. We don't know what the future will bring. All we have is the present and. One of the greatest gifts we can do is live in that presence and live our fullest best lives.

Alona: Contribute as we wish, as we desire, as we're excited to connect to our aliveness and our passion and our authenticity, and so that we're living that optimal life in the present. We're providing that. Optimal environment. And that doesn't mean always good, right? It's gonna have good days, gonna have bad days, but that you are living your authentic best life and, and that is contributes to the future.

Matt: Yeah. And it's, and it's also to, to check into that part, like what is enough? 

Alona: Mm-hmm. 

Matt: I think, I think that's coming from an energy of, [00:24:00] of there's a right amount and you didn't hit it, and I don't think there's such a thing as a right amount. So it's really just sadness that there's a, a change in the seasons and that part is expressing it in a way that's really painful versus like, yeah, I am feeling really sad.

Matt: Charles's going off to college, and I'm thinking about all the times. And for a while there I was not, I was excited for them to go to college because I was so tired and what, whatever it is. But, but connect to that. And it's really amazing how that moves through you. But to me, this is a sign of, uh, a need for mourning.

Alona: Yes. But in that morning comes the realization that I. I'm not stopping to contribute to my child just because they went off to college. I'm just going to contribute in a different way, and when I can connect to that, I can continue to see ways that, that, because I imagine for this parent, contributing [00:25:00] brings tremendous joy, right?

Alona: Being in purpose. And so how do, how do you do that right? Even though your child is not physically present with you. 

Matt: That's what changes. What changes are the strategies that you use to meet needs. So I, how I contributed to my child when they were before they went to college is different than how I contribute to my child when they're in college.

Matt: Mm-hmm. But there's always a need for contribution. Mm-hmm. And to me, that's what's exciting about non-violent communication is you can bring these needs with you at all stages. But at each season, the strategies are changing. Just like my mom, who, you know, at in college had to came and talked to me and I was needing someone when I was struggling in that first semester and feeling lonely and not really like I, you know, it was my home.

Matt: So again, contribution, but it was very different. I didn't need contribution like that when I was younger. Now I needed that in college. 

Alona: Yeah. Here's a last one. Letting go of the dream. I always pictured my son and [00:26:00] I sharing a love of sports, but he is just not interested. I know I should support his passions, but part of me feels like I'm losing the dream I had.

Alona: How do I let go? Oh, I think that's an important one. And I think you know that, that goes to your story of the pancakes. You and your dad love to make pancakes. Our daughters love you to make them pancakes. That's not a shared experience, um, in our family, but 

Matt: it, when we went to visit him, it was shared experience.

Matt: Yeah. He wanted to make ramps grand. Right. So now grandpa made pancakes with the grandkids. 

Alona: Yes. Yes. 

Matt: And I told him, Hey, this is New Seasons. You gotta let go of that. Exactly. But that was exciting for them 'cause it was something new. Mm-hmm. Which was interesting to me as I'm thinking back, like they were too young, they were old enough now they didn't wanna make pancakes with me, but Grams wanted to make pancakes with them and they were actually excited to try that out.

Alona: Yeah. [00:27:00] Yeah. Then for you it was a morning around, this was an exciting experience that brought so many wonderful memories for you. And there was a morning around the fact that your daughters didn't share in that excitement. 

Matt: Um, yeah. I was crying when he was Nerd Panga. I'm like, why are you making pancakes with him?

Matt: And they, they just didn't know why I was crying. But anyway, I'm kidding. 

Alona: And I think there's an ownership in that story of, you know, we do have. Expectations and dreams and desires for our children, and we come to the realization, well, hopefully we come to the realization that they are their own being and their passions might and, and will be very different from ours.

Alona: And so, you know, there's this notion of well meet them where they're at and and support them no matter what and. Yes. And [00:28:00] grieve the fact that, yeah, you have expectations and dreams and desires from them that weren't met and there's a, an opportunity, you know, there's a real fear of mourning, I think a real weight that it carries, and I don't think people realize how healing it can be to spend a little time and mourning and really connect to that grief.

Matt: If you were gonna talk more about that. I remember for me, learning about mourning, I was like, great, I'm ready to mourn, but what do I do? 

Alona: Mm-hmm. 

Matt: So when you mourn, what do you do? 

Alona: I connect to what I'm feeling. I allow those unpleasant emotions to surface. A lot of times. Most of the time it's sadness, it's tremendous sadness over a loss or, um.

Alona: A, a missed opportunity or a misfire and disconnection, and I sit with it and, and I reflect [00:29:00] on, on the pain. And over time what I notice is a transformation. I a I, as I process through that pain, I also have a gift of expansion and opportunity that kind of just naturally finds itself. You know, like where do we go from here?

Matt: And I, and I think people are surprised when you tell them, Hey, that sadness just sort of flows. It's not like it's this weight that just sits there for the rest of your, your days or a weight that you have to pick up and move off. At some point it's, it's alive, there's an energy to it, and it comes, and then it flows just like happiness or joy.

Matt: Nobody's worried that happiness is gonna stay and never leave. It comes and then eventually it goes on its way. I think that's, that to me was really reassuring. Like you can feel the sadness and the sensations in your body and there's a movement to them. 

Alona: Yeah, [00:30:00] and I think, you know, there's in that grieving the enlightenment around, you know, there are plenty of things that I've wanted the girls to do and they're just not interested and there's grieving that, and out of that coming, well there are a lot of things they aren't interested in.

Alona: Can we find a common shared space and, and how do we light up together around that? So for, for this parent, the same, it might not be sports, but there might be something really cool that they and their son can connect on and have a shared ritual that will evolve and will possibly change, but will be theirs, um, over the seasons.

Matt: Yeah. And, and this comes up when there's parents that, you know, wanted a son and they, they get two girl and it's like, oh, I was imagining, you know, [00:31:00] football and cheering for them in football, and now you're cheering for them at, you know, ballet class and you're still cheering and you're supporting them and, you know, it's, it's just a different experience of connection and you can mourn some of the.

Matt: Thoughts and memories, but but also really enjoy the, the sense of connection. 

Alona: I, I love that and I love that reminder that letting go of a dream can really create space for an amazing reality. You know, and, and, and that's a perfect example, yes. Letting go of the dream of oh, is gonna be sports, and then cherishing the reality that, oh, it's dance or musical theater or something, that you are watching your child light up.

Alona: Yeah. And I am looking at your eyes now, and even your eyes, you know, as you think about that, they get bigger, you know? And as your heart expands that experience. It 

Matt: reminds me of a comedian that made a joke about that with his [00:32:00] basically saying the same thing and he is like, I'm gonna cheer just as hard in LA class as I was as a football player.

Matt: And he was like, you know, he was yelling. He is like, you call that a pirouette. You get your head in the game kid. Yeah. 

Alona: Ah, that's funny. 

Matt: And it's funny, 

Alona: it's funny and endearing if to say, alright, so Matt, what do we wanna leave our audience with today? What's our one last thing? 

Matt: So parenting is not about creating carbon copies of our dreams, it's about witnessing the unfolding of their own.

Matt: And in doing so, we discover new parts of ourselves too. 

Alona: I love that. Encouraging to them to grow. We grow with them. 

Matt: Oh, and I, and I think if you. Do one thing as a parent to me, it's if you, it's allowing your child's authentic self, who they are to feel safe to come out. And if every, if you're doing that.

Matt: You're on the right road.[00:33:00] 

Alona: Your experiences and feedback are invaluable to us. 

Speaker 15: Please email us at parents@webetogether.com with your own cheers and tears, as well as any questions or stories you'd like to share, 

Alona: and we'd love for you to hit that subscribe button. Bye for now.