The Almost Empty Nest—Letting Go, Redefined: Parenting Teens and Finding Yourself Again—with Small Jar Coach

Have you ever watched your big kid do something and immediately thought, Oh my God… what are people going to think of me?

Today, I’m talking about the embarrassment that can come with parenting teens and navigating the empty nest years, especially when your kid is rude, reckless, irresponsible, or making choices you really wish they wouldn't make.

I’ll help you separate your kid’s behavior from your identity as a mom, so you can stop overthinking what other people think, loosen the grip of shame, and get clearer about what actually belongs to you. You can still have opinions, set boundaries, and care about your kid without making every choice they make mean something about the kind of mother you are.

💡 Interested in learning more about how to create peace, confidence and connection as you raise and launch your teen? Join me for my next free masterclass: https://www.thesmalljar.com/class.

💪 Curious about coaching? Check out our Mom 2.0 coaching programs (both group and 1:1): www.thesmalljar.com/Mom-2-0. Know you’re interested in group? Visit: www.thesmalljar.com/momcollective.

❓ Have questions or want to share your feedback? I'd love to hear from you! You can email me at jennifer@thesmalljar.com.

This empowering podcast offers life coaching for moms and parenting support for midlife mothers raising teens as they approach the empty nest, teaching them how to let go of control, stop overthinking, and shift their mindset, while also helping them set boundaries, improve communication, reduce anxiety, release mom guilt, and find purpose in the evolving journey of parenting teens and motherhood.

What happens when the child you would happily spend all weekend with can barely carve out dinner with you?

That was the reality of my recent Parents Weekend, and it gave me a front-row seat to something so many of us moms experience when parenting teens and in the empty nest. It's the temptation to measure connection by how much time, attention, or reassurance our kids give us.

In this episode, I’m exploring what I call unconditional connection. I'll invite you to consider that you can want more time with your child without making their behavior mean you matter less. We’ll look at why letting go of time with your big kid can feel so threatening and how to stop requiring constant proof that your relationship is still strong.

What if this stage of motherhood doesn't require you to accept less love, but instead it might be invite you to learn to trust the connection, even as your relationship with your child changes.

💡 Interested in learning more about how to create peace, confidence and connection as you raise and launch your teen? Join me for my next free masterclass: https://www.thesmalljar.com/class.

💪 Curious about coaching? Check out our Mom 2.0 coaching programs (both group and 1:1): www.thesmalljar.com/Mom-2-0. Know you’re interested in group? Visit: www.thesmalljar.com/momcollective.

❓ Have questions or want to share your feedback? I'd love to hear from you! You can email me at jennifer@thesmalljar.com.

This empowering podcast offers life coaching for moms and parenting support for midlife mothers raising teens as they approach the empty nest, teaching them how to let go of control, stop overthinking, and shift their mindset, while also helping them set boundaries, improve communication, reduce anxiety, release mom guilt, and find purpose in the evolving journey of parenting teens and motherhood.

Have you ever found yourself more invested in your big kid’s success than they seem to be?

Maybe you’re reminding them about the job application, pushing them to study, asking for the tenth time about the chore, or wondering why they don’t seem more motivated. And before long, you’re not just frustrated by what they’re doing today, you’re worrying about who they’re becoming.

In this episode, I’m talking about the pressure we carry as moms to make our kids responsible, hardworking, resilient adults. I’ll help you separate what is actually yours to teach, model, and decide from what your teen or adult kid ultimately has to learn for themselves.

If you’re parenting teens, navigating the empty nest years, or working on letting go without giving up on your big kid, this episode will help you stop overthinking every decision and parent with more confidence and self-trust.

💡 Interested in learning more about how to create peace, confidence and connection as you raise and launch your teen? Join me for my next free masterclass: https://www.thesmalljar.com/class.

💪 Curious about coaching? Check out our Mom 2.0 coaching programs (both group and 1:1): www.thesmalljar.com/Mom-2-0. Know you’re interested in group? Visit: www.thesmalljar.com/momcollective.

❓ Have questions or want to share your feedback? I'd love to hear from you! You can email me at jennifer@thesmalljar.com.

This empowering podcast offers life coaching for moms and parenting support for midlife mothers raising teens as they approach the empty nest, teaching them how to let go of control, stop overthinking, and shift their mindset, while also helping them set boundaries, improve communication, reduce anxiety, release mom guilt, and find purpose in the evolving journey of parenting teens and motherhood.

Have you ever noticed that when your kid is struggling, you make it your job to struggle too?

So often, as moms, we let our own peace rise and fall with how our kids are doing. They’re happy, and we can relax. They’re struggling or pulling away, and so we’re anxious, overthinking, and trying to make everything better.

In this episode, I’m continuing the Mindset Trap series with a focus on emotional outsourcing and why it becomes such an easy habit to call into during the parenting teens and empty nest years.

You’ll learn how to recognize when you’ve tied your emotional wellbeing to your child’s mood, choices, or progress, and how to begin letting go of that responsibility without becoming detached.

Motherhood actually doesn’t require you to ride every emotional wave with your kid. You can love and support them, and still create steadiness, confidence, and peace within yourself.

💡 Interested in learning more about how to create peace, confidence and connection as you raise and launch your teen? Join me for my next free masterclass: https://www.thesmalljar.com/class.

💪 Curious about coaching? Check out our Mom 2.0 coaching programs (both group and 1:1): www.thesmalljar.com/Mom-2-0. Know you’re interested in group? Visit: www.thesmalljar.com/momcollective.

❓ Have questions or want to share your feedback? I'd love to hear from you! You can email me at jennifer@thesmalljar.com.

This empowering podcast offers life coaching for moms and parenting support for midlife mothers raising teens as they approach the empty nest, teaching them how to let go of control, stop overthinking, and shift their mindset, while also helping them set boundaries, improve communication, reduce anxiety, release mom guilt, and find purpose in the evolving journey of parenting teens and motherhood.

Have you ever had a moment when the house feels too quiet, your kids are busy living their lives, and you suddenly wonder, when did I start feeling this alone?

In this episode, I’m exploring the different ways loneliness can show up during the teen and empty nest years. Sometimes we simply miss our kids. Sometimes we’re grieving the closeness or relationship we thought we’d have. And sometimes motherhood has shifted so much that we’re beginning to see just how much we want more friendship, community, connection, or purpose of our own.

I’ll help you look beneath the thought “I feel lonely” and understand what your loneliness may actually be asking of you. Because some loneliness is meant to be felt, and some may be inviting you to create something new, without making your kids responsible for filling the empty spaces in your life.

💡 Interested in learning more about how to create peace, confidence and connection as you raise and launch your teen? Join me for my next free masterclass: https://www.thesmalljar.com/class.

💪 Curious about coaching? Check out our Mom 2.0 coaching programs (both group and 1:1): www.thesmalljar.com/Mom-2-0. Know you’re interested in group? Visit: www.thesmalljar.com/momcollective.

❓ Have questions or want to share your feedback? I'd love to hear from you! You can email me at jennifer@thesmalljar.com.

This empowering podcast offers life coaching for moms and parenting support for midlife mothers raising teens as they approach the empty nest, teaching them how to let go of control, stop overthinking, and shift their mindset, while also helping them set boundaries, improve communication, reduce anxiety, release mom guilt, and find purpose in the evolving journey of parenting teens and motherhood.