High-Conflict Co-Parenting: How to Reclaim Your Power and Protect Your Kids

Co-parenting is challenging enough when two parents generally get along.

When the relationship is contentious, every pickup, schedule change, forgotten belonging, or parenting decision can become part of a larger power struggle.

In this episode, Sam and Melissa are joined by co-parent coach and conflict resolution expert Amy Armstrong to discuss how high-conflict co-parenting affects children and what parents can do when they feel powerless.

Amy explains why trying to control or correct the other parent often reduces your influence. She introduces the idea of being “pro-me, not anti-you,” which helps parents shift their energy away from fighting the other person and toward becoming the parent they want to be.

They also discuss what to do when a child says they do not want to spend time with the other parent. When there is no safety concern, Amy recommends combining an appropriate challenge with empathy and choices.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• How co-parenting conflict can take on a life of its own
• Why children often become caught in the middle
• What it means to be pro-me instead of anti-you
• Why criticism and forced feedback can backfire
• How parents can increase their influence without controlling the other person
• What to do when a child resists parenting time
• How to validate a child without rescuing them
• Why children need to know they can handle hard things
• How small experiments help children and parents build confidence
• When a counselor, coach, or neutral professional may be helpful
• Why the court system cannot solve every co-parenting problem

About Amy:

Amy Armstrong is a co-parent coach, mediator, parent coordinator, and nationally recognized leader in conflict resolution, coach education, and program design. She works with parents and professionals through the Center for Family Resolution and the Center for Coach Development.

Resources:

Amy is also the author of Real-Time Parenting: Choose Your Action Steps for the Present Moment and the forthcoming book Boundary Basics: Simple Steps to Resolve Conflict.

Be sure to download this resource from Amy especially for the Parent Shrink Wrapped audience, The No-Regret Response Kit 

Contact: parentingshrinkwrapped@gmail.com

Watch on YouTube: Subscribe to Parenting Shrink Wrapped for the latest episodes.

Follow:
Sam – Instagram & Facebook
Melissa – Facebook

Work with Us:
Sam – Teen Savvy Coaching
Melissa – Annapolis Psychiatry

Save your spot in the next FREE Teen Savvy Parenting Masterclass.

Free Parenting Resource: Learn the L.O.V.E.D. framework for handling tricky convos.

Listen & Review: Follow on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.

This podcast is educational in nature and is not a substitute for professional medical or mental-health care. 

Transcript

SPEAKER_02 0:00

When you're in the middle of this kind of conflict, the conflict has the power. Whether the conflict is rooted in the court system, whether the conflict is rooted just between disagreeing spouses, right? Like you're in your situation, the conflict has has has the power.

SPEAKER_01 0:14

The conflict takes on a life of its own. Yeah. You said it, Sam. When these parents they want the best for their kids, but they're so distracted. The conflict is its own entity with a heartbeat.

SPEAKER_03 0:30

Welcome to Parenting Shrinkwraft, where two mental health professionals will get real with you about the joys and the challenges of raising children and teens. I'm your co-host, Dr. Melissa Wellner, a double board certified psychiatrist and child and adolescent psychiatrist and mom of three.

SPEAKER_02 0:50

And I'm Samantha Straub, licensed clinical counselor, longtime educator, parenting coach, and mother of two. Together, we'll explore all things parenting, from handling monumental meltdowns to first-time drivers. We're all about giving you practical strategies that work. Parenting Shrinkwrapped is more than just advice. You'll sit in with us for compassionate conversations about the complexities and the absurdities of parenting. We're here to support you and your kiddos.

SPEAKER_03 1:20

So grab your cup of coffee, take a deep breath, buckle up, and join us for this journey called Parenthood. We'll laugh, learn, and commiserate about the joys and messiness of raising kids.

SPEAKER_02 1:56

Whether this issue pertains to something happening in your household or to a friend of your child, uh like one of your children's friends or the neighbor down the street, I don't think there's a person on this planet who hasn't been touched by the issue we are going to talk about today. Um and and we will get there. We'll we'll I'll introduce our guest in a second. But before I do, Melissa, I have a question for you. Tell me what the challenges are when in seeing clients when you're doing your psychiatry work with a with a child and their parents are contentiously divorced. What are some of the extra challenges that that builds in?

SPEAKER_03 2:36

So the extra challenges are numerous. Um, usually part of my job ends up being then trying to be the family therapist and co-parenting coach when my focus is actually supposed to be on the kid. And my focus gets pulled away from the child that's sitting in front of me because I've got mom and dad disagreeing over some stuff that's not even related to their psychiatric care. Um, but I'm hearing about complaints about pickup drop-off times. Oh, dad was five minutes late for our, you know, transition time, or you know, mom didn't send this when she came to my house this weekend. Um and I'm getting caught in the middle of petty fights that have actually nothing to do necessarily with what's the necessarily problem at hand, but it amplifies everything for the kid who's the identified patient because their parents are constantly fighting with one another and disagreeing, and you've got a young child's emotional state stuck in the middle of that.

SPEAKER_02 3:49

Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.

SPEAKER_03 3:50

I would totally agree with that. And sometimes I feel awful because I've got this sweet kid in front of me and two parents that literally can't sit five feet apart from one another.

SPEAKER_02 4:00

But when you get them separately, and this is the thing that I that like is a little heartbreaking for me, and I'm sure we're gonna talk about it in the episode, is I really feel for these parents because most of the time when they when they let down, when they let go of the fight, when they let go of like the pursuit that's that's wrapped up so much of their their life on behalf of their kid, because that's what it feels like there to them that they're doing. They're like, I am advocating for my kid because I don't trust the other parent to do the to do the job that I want to do, um, or the other parents on my back and I can't do the job that I want to do. Either way, that's what it comes down to. And so you've got these parents who are like so invested for the most part in their kids, but the the the argument, the contentiousness between them is getting in the way of what they feel is like their child's potential. And and when you feel like that as a parent, like it's I don't know, it's easy as a therapist to kind of blame the parents for be for being unable to get along, and I really wish they could. It's it's it's it's easier for us to work with families that are getting along. But I just I've never it's very rare that um contentiously divorced parent whose kid is in therapy because the child the parent has put them there, right? That that parent is doesn't want the best for their kid. Right? Like that's at the bottom of it. And then there's just all this like stuff in the way, and it's so tragic, I think, in some cases. So that's the reason. That's the reason when Amy Armstrong reached out when we heard from her team asking if she um would be a good fit for parenting shrink-wrapped, Melissa and I were like, hell yes, absolutely. We need someone to talk about this. Amy Armstrong is a co-parent coach. In other words, she specializes in working with parents who are going through what we just talked about. Um, she is an LISWS in Columbus, Ohio, where she was born and raised. Um she's also a nationally recognized leader in conflict resolution, coach education, and program design. She does mediation, parent coordination, and parent coaching, and she has two different organizations that kind of support this mission: the Center for Family Resolution and the Center for Coach Development. So, in other words, she's working with clients, but she's also working with coaches who are working with clients. And she is someone who collaborates with judges, attorneys, professionals, all to transform how families and systems who work with families deal with conflict. Her work has appeared in New York Times, Parents Magazine, USA Today, CBS, ABC, NBC, Fox News. She's the author of Real-Time Parenting: Choose Your Action Steps for the Present Moment, and the forthcoming Boundary Basics: Simple Steps to Resolve Conflict. We are so excited to talk to her today about co-parenting in the messy middle that is raising kids when as parents you can't seem to get along. Amy Armstrong, welcome to Parenting Shrink Run.

SPEAKER_01 7:09

What a warm welcome. Thank you. I feel celebrated already. Thank you. I so appreciate the work both of you, Dr. Melissa and Sam, are doing. It is so needed. And I know your listeners just really value you and hang on your words.

SPEAKER_02 7:24

Well, I think they're gonna hang on yours today, too. Before we get to the meat of it, how did you get into this work? Like Melissa and I were just talking about how challenging it is to work with families in this situation, and this, and you're like, no, I'd like to walk right into that, Chaos. Thank you. Like, how did that happen?

SPEAKER_01 7:42

It made me feel better about my own situation. So I will tell you, it it might sound like the funny version of very serious work. And I did do it all wrong myself when I was first not getting along with my co-parent. We were married, and it looked like we were gonna stay married, and I turned myself into a pretzel trying to please this man who would not be pleased. He was so unhappy with me. And I'd like to say that you mention divorce, but there's a lot of listeners out there who would say, I'm guessing, but would say they're not on the same page with the person, even in living together in the same house. So, yes, I definitely learned my craft in high-stakes custody battles, and it applies to every parent that has ever had to make compromises or not be the parent they wanted to be because of the other parent. And it is absolutely heartbreaking.

SPEAKER_03 8:51

Unless you're a single parent and never had another parent, Amy, involved, I don't know that that situation exists. I mean, I think that's part of parenting, like uh unless you truly never had a co-parent, and there's you know, you're a single person who adopted or had it had a procedure done as a had IVF as a female, as a single woman, to then go ahead and just parent alone. I mean, everybody makes compromises in parenting, I think.

SPEAKER_01 9:27

And there's literally people listening right now who are in situations where they have had their power stripped of them, they're in coercive controlling relationships or otherwise abusive relationships where they simply can't be themselves and they feel like they're simply not able to show up for their kids the way they want to show up. And so, my role as a mom, I enjoyed being a mom, and I knew I was not being fully myself. But it took a lot of drama and a lot of years when my husband and I finally separated, and then I finally figured out that I did not actually need to go through him to feel empowered. You know, that was my story for so long was I was the missus in everything, you know, my identity revolved around his. And once we it became obvious that we were gonna get divorced, I was very fortunate to have some friends that could see in me a person that I didn't know yet. And so they helped me get excited. You know, you could go back to school, you know you could learn to support yourself. But I definitely went from being very helpless on my own to being what I feel now. I have a ball on my own, and I am remarried, and I I just am never gonna give away my independence again. You know, I love being whole on my own, of course. And so what I did wrong actually put me in front of a lot of people who believed that I would be able to relate to some other parents. So I was teaching parent ed for a long time. Loved um, my parenting book is about parenting skills and lots of ways that we can bring out the best in ourselves while we bring out the best in our children. But what would happen is after class, people would rush up to me and want to talk about their own situation and the conflicts that they were having. And that was an open invitation for me to become a coach where I could work one-on-one with these families and look at what was specific and unique in the the literal pain points of every family. And once I started working in a specific way toward elevating awareness of what was going on in the present moment, people started being able to tell me how what a nightmare they were going through or how powerless they felt, and would just ask over and over again, what do I do? What do I do? What do I do? in this very desperate way. And so I had some colleagues who were in the legal profession, and they asked me to lead a class for divorcing parents, which I was very happy to do. And then once I started coaching, I literally started knocking on attorneys' doors and saying, Do you have any unruly clients you'd like to get off your hands? I mean, I love these people, I enjoy them so much. I like the challenge. I simply love the ability to be present and find out what is going on in exactly this moment and support people to try something new that would allow them to feel the way they want to feel. And in most of most cases, people want to feel in control, they want to feel confident, they want to feel calm, and they want to enjoy their kids rather than worrying constantly that this other parent is going to sabotage their relationship, gonna undermine what they believe is best for their kids. So I do like the complexity of it, but boy, is it fun watching people get their power.

SPEAKER_02 14:23

And that is that that that's a thing, right? Like the when you are in the middle of um when you're in the middle of this kind of conflict, the conflict has the power. Whether the conflict is rooted in the court system, whether the conflict is rooted just between disagreeing spouses, right? Like you're in your situation, the conflict has has has been.

SPEAKER_01 14:44

The conflict takes on a life of its own. Yeah. You said it, Sam, when these parents they want the best for their kids, but they're so distracted. The conflict is its own entity with a heartbeat. And it is massive. And what I find is obviously I can't speak for all moms everywhere. It's just, I do see so many moms wanting cooperation, wanting to get along. Can't we just figure this out? Can't we just talk about this? And so often what happens in conflict is we realize that that other parent doesn't have the same goals we do. And it all becomes a power struggle. And so agreeing on something like what Dr. Melissa was saying about the belongings or about time of a drop-off, it's not about the belongings, it's not about the time, it's about the power struggle and wanting to be seen as the most competent parent or wanting to be seen as um, you know, the I call that the MVP, the most valuable, competing for MVP, yeah. Being the favorite parent. And so when I work with people, I don't feel at all judgmental about that. I sure have an ego that gets in my way. And so we just look at what part of you want something different? What part of you wants to try something different? What's something different we can try? Let's practice, that is gonna help you highlight the best interests of your child and elevate yourself in the way you want to be elevated without putting the other parent down. And a lot of parents won't engage on that way, but I know there are listeners out there that are more than willing to have a situation that doesn't require demeaning the other parent.

unknown 16:37

Yes.

SPEAKER_03 16:38

So, Amy, are when you're working with parents, are you often working with both of them or just one of them?

SPEAKER_01 16:44

I al I will say almost always only work as a neutral. So I work with both. And I work with the with people that think their situation is the worst ever, where the conflict is so high. We're talking uh domestic abuse, we're talking substance use, we're talking situations where the conflict is so high that a child is resisting contact with one or the other parent, where the extended families are being erased, where the parents are going in and trying to win over the medical professionals and the psychiatrist and the therapist and professionals, where there is this competition, not just for the child, but for the whole community, coaches and all the, you know, the tutor, the piano teacher. And these are the parents that are they think they've done everything, they think they've tried everything, and the anxiety has gotten the best of them. They're not sleeping, they're spending literally hours trying to figure out how to write the perfect email to get that other person to do what they think they should do. It's miserable.

SPEAKER_03 18:02

What are some oh go ahead, Melissa? You asked me. You're gonna ask the same exact question. So, and what are some things that you typically suggest for, you know, obviously every situation is unique, but there's probably some general boundaries or recommendations that you make to parents in general for co-parenting. Right.

SPEAKER_01 18:27

One of my favorite tips is to be pro-me, not anti-you. So I literally, right before this recording, had a mom on a call, and she was spending a bit of time talking to me about her ex, but she's she's really worked through it all. And I asked her, I said, what would be the best use of our time right now? I believe you that you know, your your children's dad seems to put a lot more energy into his girlfriend than he does the children. Like I hear that. And how could you and I work to create just even in the next 15 minutes? How could we create a new way of you looking at yourself in this? And so I want to always bring the attention and the energy back to you creating what you want for you and who you want to be, who do you want to see when you look in the mirror? What are you gonna feel the best about with you? So it's being pro-Melissa, it's being pro-Sam, it's being pro-Amy, not anti this other person who isn't cooperating in the way you would like. And so we're shifting, slowly shifting from the problem to the vision.

SPEAKER_02 19:43

I can imagine you saying that to me. Like I was I was listening as that client of yours. And if I was, if I had called you and I was like, he's like he he seems to love this new woman more than he loves the kids. The kids are just over there as like like accessories, you know, and and and it breaks my heart to send my kids over there where they feel like second-class citizens. And you said that all the time. Right, and you said to me, What can we do to make this time valuable for you? I think I would burst into tears. Really, like I I feel like like if someone said that because as the mom in that scenario, I would have been spending all this time spinning my wheels trying to always cultivate what I hoped would be the best circumstances for my kids, and you would have just shown shone the light on me. And I think that that would have been like very uh potentially welcoming but also overwhelming. I don't know, I could for me. I I had a wave of feelings when you said that.

SPEAKER_01 20:40

Well said, and what I would want to do is ask exactly that. I would say, Sam, what came up for you when I asked that? Right? Because I would want to hear that entire wave start to finish. And we would then know you know, you're I I treat every client. The truth is you're very well resourced with what is happening for you right now. Right now, it has all the information you need to create the future you want. And uh allowing you to grieve, allowing you to share your sadness and frustration and how heartbreaking it is to have your child with the other parent. Again, it could just be you could be in an intact marriage, but you still don't feel good about what's going on with your child when that other parent is trying to help them with homework and they're yelling at them or shaming them or creating more frustration, or even when that other parent is giving them food that you know is not good for them, or letting them stay up to late, or watch a movie that you know is not good for them. And so it's this idea of meeting you in exactly the place you are without any expectation that it changes. We simply hold very tenderly what's happening right now so that you will automatically create where you want to go. You'll be able to tell me. You'll be able to tell me what you want in the next 15 minutes.

SPEAKER_02 22:17

What does that look like practically speaking, with if you can't change the circumstances with the other person because you're not in charge of that exclusively? In charge of the other person? Yeah, yeah. So so if if you if you let's say you do the you do the work and you say like this is what I need personally, but then there's also the nitty gritty, like, okay, well, how do I actually interact with this other person who seems to go out of their way to undermine me or who makes me feel undermined even if they're not trying to, right? Or want to increase our influence, yes?

unknown 22:51

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 22:51

So, how what are some practical strategies you give families or clients to do that in the space in the like where we're I guess what I'm asking is you still have to take care of the situation. Yes, what can you share? Because these are probably like these these clients you work with, they've they've been racking their brains. Right. If what they knew how to do worked, it already would have, because they've tried it. So what trying what's something you teach? They've read every book. Yes. What's a give me give me a flip the switch skill?

SPEAKER_01 23:25

So I will do that and I will add to it as far as how you can talk to your child. So I can use the example of the woman I literally was just talking to. So we did three things because she was asking me exactly that. So how do I get him to do right? Right? And I asked her a question. I said, Does he ever do what you ask him to do? No. Okay, so that's good information right there. So you can still make encouraging comments about the things that are working, about the things that are good. But one of the hardest lessons is to hold back and not correct or criticize any human being who is not giving you a green light for your feedback. So when we force feedback on someone, it makes it worse. Our influence goes down. This is a very hard lesson. So by simply not responding to negative comments, our influence goes up. By saying anything encouraging, like have a good day, or um, oh my gosh, that sounds fun. Any encouragement, your influence goes up. So literally, for a lot of, I will say moms, for a lot of moms, staying out of dad's business is an up. It will up level your influence. When you try to tell the other parent what to do, if it really needs doing, you're gonna have to find somebody else to do it. That's where I come in. I tell people all the time, let me do the dirty work for you, let me be the heavy. I can say it. They don't hate me. Right? So, with this mom this morning, we talked about how her son could work with a counselor, and that counselor can give feedback to dad that mom simply can't give because mom's the enemy right now.

SPEAKER_02 25:22

So I've worked with parents like that where I can say with with with like without the parent, the other parent around, I could say, like, you know, you really blew that one. Like that that was a big bust, but like I couldn't say that with the right the other parent in the room because because it would be like taking sides play into their competition. Yeah, exactly. Exactly.

SPEAKER_01 25:41

But we do want to highlight that any safety concern, and I will get Teary saying this, there are grave dangers out there. Any serious safety concern, people ask me, well, do I have to make my child go if I know, you know, fill in the blank? I will never give someone permission to not honor a court-ordered parenting time. But I will say, please read between the lines and put safety first.

unknown 26:11

Right?

SPEAKER_03 26:12

So Katie, what about when there's not a safety issue at play? Because so I work with kids and adolescents of all ages, and I will tell you, sometimes, you know, you get a 13 to 17 year old who's just like, I don't want to go to mom's, I don't want to go to dad's, right? And it's like their weekend, and then inevitably the parent blames the other co-parent when honestly, I've heard it literally come out of the kid's mouth solely from the kid because of their own issues with that parent. And it's not a safety concern, they just don't want to go. What do you do? Because if the kid's at like mom's house, dad's blaming mom for the kid not going. And they're fighting, and it may not have been mom's fault.

SPEAKER_01 27:03

Correct. So ideally, I work with both parents, and I help dad learn some new skills about how to be present with that child or that teen and meet them where they are. I also work with the preferred parent about how they can require the child to go. So listen, they're gonna tell three things here. We challenge these this is all relationships, right? A good healthy relationship includes challenge, where you say to the child, um, of course you're gonna go. This is the agreement that mom and dad have, and this is your time to be at your dad's, he'll be picking you up in half an hour. So you do some challenge, lots of empathy that said, gosh, it sounds kind of discouraging. You know, you can't even imagine um, you know, how you're gonna get through the time when you wish you were here. Like you can be very in very show a lot of empathy, and then the third thing is we want to hold space for the child to think of some choices. How could you be with your dad and speak up about what you want to do, or invite a friend, or take some things that you want to do while you're there, or what do you want to do with your time that would be a value for you? And so we're doing all three at the same time as a parent. This is what we do as parents all the time, anyway, when they don't like a teacher, when they don't like a coach, when they're not getting along with their friend, right? This is what we always do. You say, gosh, you're actually going to school today. You're actually still eating lunch at school. How can you work out sitting at a different table? Would you prefer to pack so you don't have to be with this person in the lunch line? Right? We give choice, we hold space for choices, we challenge when it's safe to do so, and we encourage by saying, Oh my gosh, I'm sure you'll come up with something.

SPEAKER_03 29:05

Sam is eating this up right now.

SPEAKER_02 29:07

I am. And I well, but what I see, what I mean, first of all, I love that you've broken it down into those three steps because those are those are you can remember those three steps. And I had two thoughts while you were talking. The first is if that's even if that's successful and the kid goes out the door to to the other parents' house, then you close the door and you're like, right? Like that to manage your moments. Right, exactly. You've got to pick up the your own personal pieces for sure. Because your heart is walking around inside the kid and you know what the kid's preference is and it's and it's not happening, that preference. Right. And the second thing I thought about was um some t to be able to do that depends on your confidence as a parent that your child can actually handle the the adversity that you are insisting they face. And I, you know, I don't want to necessarily use the word adversity like going over to another parent's house, but if if they're like it, to the kid it does. That's why I'm using that term, right? So sometimes I think if you don't feel like your kid has the internal tools, um you've worked to do. Right.

SPEAKER_01 30:13

You've worked and isn't that our number one job as parents is to raise children who can do hard things.

SPEAKER_02 30:23

Amen, sister. Oh, I love that. Yes, it is.

SPEAKER_01 30:27

No, if we can increase our capacity for discomfort, we're good.

SPEAKER_02 30:33

Yeah, the world is so much more available to you.

SPEAKER_01 30:36

Our children need to hear that they will figure it out, and we can't wait to hear what they came up with much more than they need to hear us fix their life for them.

SPEAKER_00 30:48

Yes.

SPEAKER_01 30:49

Oh, yeah. So just this part.

SPEAKER_02 30:53

Our children need to hear, just say it again.

SPEAKER_01 30:55

Our children need to hear that that they can handle it, and we can't wait to hear what they came up with. Yes, more than they can't do a math problem. This is when they think they are not gonna survive because they didn't get invited to an event. This is when they think their hair doesn't look good. This is when they you're making them wear a raincoat, right? It's like all those things. Yeah, they get to handle it. They can. They actually can. And the more we find the small things, the more we can believe that they really can. Because it does start with us. So we want to set them up that they actually can help with dinner, they can actually get some things done around the house, um, they can actually um learn to sleep on their own for you know certain age kids. They really can, but we need to find the right size step, which is where coaching comes in. We don't make big leaps, we work with what's happening right now, and we come up with an experiment for right now that feels like a little bit of a nudge, but we're gonna collect some data. How did we do what helped us through it?

SPEAKER_02 32:15

That's my that's the term, that's the exact word I use. In therapy when I'm doing exposures, which is what you're talking about, like generate something that generates a little bit of uncomfortable, of discomfort so that you can grow and change. You build muscle. That's what I say. Like I said, run an experiment, it doesn't matter how it goes.

SPEAKER_03 32:31

I think people also need to realize that like the court system isn't gonna do this for you. Like going back to court and fighting legally, spending tons of money on attorneys and tons of time in and out of the courtroom fighting over the minutiae of whatever is in the divorce agreement or custody agreement. Right doesn't actually change any of this stuff and doesn't necessarily fix it.

SPEAKER_01 33:02

What what is the delight for my career is working with folks who think they need this external force, like an attorney or the court, and they get to discover that they have so much more influence and power within themselves that they've simply been giving away trying to make someone else behave the way we wish they would behave. So we have to work with reality, live with the reality you have, and amplify your own influence in many, many, many ways, starting today.

SPEAKER_02 33:41

Oh, I love this. Amy, if guests are listening, because I feel like that we've just hit the tip of the iceberg and we could probably go on for two hours. Uh I can. Um, but if guests are listening, tell them where they can find you. How can they learn more about your work and connect with you?

SPEAKER_01 33:57

Sure. Well, I I had a feeling what we would be talking about today. So I put together a lot of this information in a resource just for your listeners. And I put together a list. So I'm a coach, so I don't script anything, but I put together some sample ideas with an activity for the listeners to read the different ideas and see where their energy goes, right? Because we're looking at how do you know the right next step for you? Your energy will tell you, it'll jump out at you. So I have that. I have a very um, I call it a rescue, a nervous system rescue because all these issues jack up our nervous systems to such an impossible level that we need to be able to come down quickly and often. And then I also put together a guide for when boundaries aren't working because boundaries are a beautiful thing, but there's actually a lot to creating and maintaining a boundary in a way that actually works. So I wanted them to have some of that, um, some of those good nuggets as well. So I put together a resource and um gonna just ask if it can be in the show notes, and they can download it and and it'll it'll pop into their inbox. And then my company is the Center for Family Resolution. Um the website is the same name.com, and I would just absolutely love to connect with them and support them in their journey to being fully empowered.

SPEAKER_03 35:26

And just for our listeners' sake, I I'm on the website right now, and she has awesome resources on her website and links to virtual talks. And Amy, I I'm bound but to only work in the state of Maryland, but you are able to work nationwide.

SPEAKER_00 35:46

Worldwide.

SPEAKER_03 35:47

Doesn't matter where you're listening from, um, you can reach out to Amy and she can work with you no matter where you are listening from right now. Um, so which is awesome. And I really, really hope our listeners have enjoyed this conversation. I know Sam and I really could go on for hours because it's something that we deal with all the time um in our practices. So, but Amy, thank you so much for joining us and being a guest on Tarenting Shrink Rapt. Um, thrilled to have you. And for our listeners, please check out her website and the resources in the show notes that Amy put together for us. Um and as always, thank you for raising the next generation of world changers. We love you, we love your kids, and thank you for tuning in to another episode of Parenting Shrink Rapt. Thank you, everyone.

SPEAKER_02 36:52

Thanks for joining us on this wild ride called Parenthood here at Parenting Shrink Rapht. We hope today's episode gave you some useful tools and maybe even a few laughs to help you navigate the twists and turns of raising teens and kids.

SPEAKER_03 37:06

Remember, parenting is a journey, not a destination. And no matter where you are on the road, we're here to help you stay on course. Whether it's monumental meltdowns, teenage turmoil, or just the everyday chaos, you don't have to travel this path alone.

SPEAKER_02 37:24

So until next time, keep your seatbelt fastened, your sense of humor intact, and your eyes on the road. We'll be back soon with more compassionate conversations and practical strategies to support you and your family.

SPEAKER_03 37:35

Don't forget to subscribe to Parenting Shrink Raft wherever you get your podcast so you never miss an episode.

SPEAKER_02 37:42

And if you've enjoyed today's show, we'd love it if you'd leave us a review and share it with a friend.com.

SPEAKER_03 37:57

Until we meet again, take care and enjoy the ride!