131. Disclosing Infidelity to Your Adult Children with Carley Pool

There are many resources out there that help parents disclose sexual betrayal to young children, but what about your adult children?

I saw Carley Pool (certified sex addiction therapist) present on this topic recently at a sex addiction conference, and I knew that this would be a great podcast episode for many of my listeners.

In this episode, Carley educates listeners on how to disclose your infidelity to adult children and how this differs from other disclosures.

For those of you with adult children, I think you will find this episode very useful when talking with them about your past behavior.

If you would like to work with Carley, you can find her information here: https://daringventures.com/our-team/carley/

If you have not yet read my book, “The High Achiever’s Guide to Sex Addiction Recovery: A Proven Blueprint for Successful Professionals to Overcome Sex and Porn Addiction.” You can find it here on Amazon and the audiobook on Audible: https://a.co/d/0j6eRiQR

If you are looking for information about my recovery groups, visit my website here: https://successfuladdict.com/

FULL TRANSCRIPT

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– That is very specific in betrayal trauma between

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– the adult child

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– Mhmm. And the parent

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– because it’s… The adult child is an autonomous

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– person

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– but on the inside, they have the perception

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– of a child. Mhmm. Mhmm. Right? So there’s

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– a dynamic there that’s kind of unique. And

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– then also,

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– what the adult child

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– experiences, let’s say, they were little when there

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– was infidelity

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– and then find out later Yeah. Sure. That

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– there’s a lot of blame on

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– the betrayed spouse because of the trauma responses

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– that the children absorb.

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– You are listening to the sex addiction podcast

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– for high achievers, business professionals, executives, and entrepreneurs.

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– This podcast is designed to apply sobriety and

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– recovery principles

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– specifically to the mindset of the high achiever.

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– I’m your host, Roland Cochran, founder of The

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– Successful Addict, a recovery group for high achieving

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– men struggling with sex and porn addiction. For

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– more information about joining our group or attending

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– our next retreat, visit successfuladdict.com.

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– And now, enjoy the rest of the episode.

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– We always talk about disclosure when it comes

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– to your wife or young children. But what

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– about your adult children?

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– Well, you’ll find this requires a totally different

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– approach, and that’s what we talk about in

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– this episode.

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– Carly, thanks for coming on. Long time no

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– see. Saw you, what was that, like, eighteen

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– hours ago or something like that? Maybe twenty

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– four hours. Right? Eight hour or less. I’m

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– so excited to bring you on. I’m gonna

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– actually be hearing this with the audience for

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– the first time because my wife was set

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– in on the conference on your session, but

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– I missed it. And so I’m gonna be

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– hearing all this for the first time, and

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– I’m very excited. So the the topic is…

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– And I want you to clarify on on

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– this. What we’re gonna be talking about is

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– navigating the dynamic between

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– the

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– parents and the adult children. We can probably

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– talk about children in general too. I’ll probably

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– ask you questions about how this might vary

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– amongst children of different ages, but your talk

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– at the conference was primarily around adult children.

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– Carly, can you clarify to the audience what

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– we are talking about? Because I’m sure this…

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– To the civilians listening to this, they’re like,

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– I don’t know what the heck an adult

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– children is and what the dynamic is. So

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– can you can you frame for the audience

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– what we’re talking about? Yeah.

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– So I think that’s a great question

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– because when I first started working on this

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– topic, I was… I wasn’t interested in it

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– because I thought adult children meant

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– adult children of severe

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– sex addiction.

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– But then I realized, and I think this

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– is what the the the talk is… The

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– presentation is really honing in on is that

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– whenever there’s sexual infidelity on… Sexual integrity issue,

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– it affects everybody,

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– and we are all adult children of some

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– sort. Mhmm. And so so the whole point

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– of of the talk is saying

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– whether it’s, like, extreme or minor or or…

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– And it’s not to minimize one type over

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– the other.

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– We all we all are affected, number one.

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– And number two, there’s a dynamic

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– that is very specific in betrayal trauma between

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– the adult child

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– and the parent

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– because it’s… The adult child is an autonomous

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– person,

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– but on the inside, they have

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– the perception of a child. Mhmm. Mhmm. Right?

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– So there’s a dynamic there that kind of

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– unique. And then

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– also what the adult child

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– experiences, let’s

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– say, they were little when there was infidelity

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– and then find out later. Yeah. Sure. There’s

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– a lot of blame on the

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– betrayed spouse because of the trauma responses that

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– the children absorb.

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– Yes. And so there’s a lot of dynamics

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– there and and kind of just essentially,

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– what does the research say?

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– What does it look like they… Like, every

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– single day, and what is the hope going

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– forward?

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– Yeah. No. I I love it. I think

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– it’s such a… As I reflect back on

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– pretty much

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– to your point. Right?

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– Like, almost all of my clients and, you

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– know, as we think about ourselves too. Right?

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– Like, I I can’t tell you how many

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– times I’ve had clients come in and say,

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– I’m guessing there was infidelity

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– between my parents. They were just, you know,

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– I never I never found out about it,

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– and I’m not sure if my wife or

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– or something. I’m not sure if my dad…

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– If if my mom discovered my dad. Or

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– there’s times where… Because it was such a

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– different era back then. There’s times where they

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– suspect that their mom did know, but that

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– they really didn’t do anything about it, and

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– they just kind of let it be because

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– that was just kind of what what they

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– did back then. So… And and, again, before

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– we dive in, just for the audience listening

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– to this. Right? Like, so what we’re talking

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– about here is the experience of potentially for

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– some of the audience, your kids. Right? So

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– if you have kids who… And real quick,

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– what’s an adult child by definition of, like,

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– age range? How do we classify

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– Yeah. So I would say 18 and older.

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– Yep. And and I don’t really work with

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– children

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– because I don’t know how to… Like, I

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– don’t know how to speak to a child.

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– I’m really bad at speaking to children.

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– So it’s not quite children, I would say,

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– teens. Sure. But I I think it’s applicable

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– once you get the principle of what I’m

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– trying to say you can apply it to

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– your little ones too. Yeah. Sure. 100%. Because

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– because in the end, the betrayal

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– of

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– your marital dynamic as a as a father

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– married to their mom, absolutely, you know, as…

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– It will be perceived differently by different age

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– groups. But to your point, it’s it’s still

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– the concept… The stunt… The concept’s the same.

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– So, Carly, where do we begin with this?

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– Take us on this journey of wrapping our

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– head around this. Knowing that especially most of

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– the, you know, most of my audience are

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– going to be… I have a few c

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– sets that listen to this, but I mean,

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– the bulk are going to be betrayed partners

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– of men who have betrayed their wives. That’s

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– that’s primarily who I serve. And, again, I’d

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– say at least half of my clients,

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– do have adult children. Right? So I think

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– you’re directly speaking to people who have affected

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– their kids by this behavior. Take us on

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– this journey. I don’t even know where to

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– begin. Right. Okay. Let’s see where we can

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– find an anchoring

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– piece in terms of if I were on

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– the other side, what would I wanna hear?

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– Like, what is the thing that makes me

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– go, okay. That’s that’s really

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– speaking to my heart and soul. Yeah. Let’s

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– start there because, obviously, that’s the… You know,

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– anybody listening to a podcast, it’s like, hey.

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– Let’s get right to it. I’ve I’ve now

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– betrayed my wife, and I have kids who

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– are in their twenties, in their thirties. What

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– do I need to know? Like, give it

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– to me straight out of the gates. What’s

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– the big thing, betrayer that I need to

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– wrap my head around? And then I think

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– right off the back of that, if you

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– could also

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– pivot right over to the betrayed partner and

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– talk about the position that she plays within

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– this role.

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– Yeah. I think I will start with what

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– we actually witness and see the behavior that

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– is common that we see

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– displayed by adult children. Let’s do that. Yeah.

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– So I wanna put a caveat. Like, I’ll

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– always get a question in terms of timing

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– of when this behavior is, like, is it

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– straight after the child finds out? Is it

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– late in life? Is it… I think… I

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– mean, it’s irrelevant and it’s relevant, and so

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– that’s case by case. So I’m gonna speak

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– a lot, like, broad in general.

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– So the behaviors that we can relate to

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– in terms of adult children is… And I

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– wanna ask the listeners when they’re listening

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– to listen from the lens of themselves as

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– adult children. Okay. Right? Whether there’s infidelity or

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– not. Right?

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– So the behaviors we see is a big

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– big one is

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– when adult children distance themselves

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– because they’re overwhelmed,

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– angry, resentful,

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– and in pain. They’re just, like, can’t do

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– it,

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– and they just say, you guys go sort

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– out your thing.

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– Then we have another big big response we

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– see is the is the child who’s, like,

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– the euro child, the counselor, that that was

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– me in my situation where it’s, like, we’re

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– gonna help mom. We’re gonna talk to dad.

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– We’re gonna do everything we can. We’re gonna

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– save the family. Mhmm. And then we have…

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– That includes researching, like, treatment modalities and different

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– things like that. Right? Yes. And often, just

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– a side note, a way that families cope

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– in terms of

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– figuring out treatment is like this, like, grouping

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– around how we’re gonna fix this situation. And

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– then we throw in diagnoses, and we find

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– treatment plans, and and then dad’s a narcissist,

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– and then dad’s a sociopath, and then dad’s

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– autistic, and dad has ADHD.

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– And meanwhile, they have no idea that there’s

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– there’s a hidden addiction.

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– Right? So we have the hero. We have

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– the one who says they’re out. Then we

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– have the ones who are present, but that

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– are not. They’re like, we see what’s happening.

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– We really don’t want involvement.

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– They’re the avoiders. They’re like, we’ll be part

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– of the family, but we don’t wanna be

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– part of the conversation.

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– Mhmm. And so those are the broad ones.

238
00:08:42.625 –> 00:08:43.924
– Let’s get real specific.

239
00:08:44.384 –> 00:08:46.865
– A parent will will receive a response like

240
00:08:46.865 –> 00:08:47.365
– this.

241
00:08:47.745 –> 00:08:49.745
– Let’s say we have a mom who has

242
00:08:49.745 –> 00:08:51.429
– been totally disenfranchised.

243
00:08:51.809 –> 00:08:54.070
– She hasn’t been able to tell her story,

244
00:08:54.450 –> 00:08:56.450
– but the children have cut her off. Like,

245
00:08:56.450 –> 00:08:59.089
– that’s a very common dynamic because they’re… They’ve

246
00:08:59.089 –> 00:09:00.850
– seen her in her trauma, but they don’t

247
00:09:00.850 –> 00:09:02.610
– see it as trauma. They just see mom

248
00:09:02.610 –> 00:09:03.110
– depressed,

249
00:09:03.490 –> 00:09:05.509
– anxious, reactive, hypervigilant.

250
00:09:06.704 –> 00:09:09.584
– When they’re seeing that and mom comes to

251
00:09:09.584 –> 00:09:12.144
– them and is desperate to tell them the

252
00:09:12.144 –> 00:09:12.644
– story,

253
00:09:13.424 –> 00:09:15.924
– the the adult child will often

254
00:09:16.865 –> 00:09:20.144
– path… Feel like it… Feel like the adult

255
00:09:20.144 –> 00:09:21.829
– child is, like, pathologizing

256
00:09:22.209 –> 00:09:24.850
– mom by saying things like… I’m thinking things

257
00:09:24.850 –> 00:09:26.709
– like mom’s dramatic, mom’s

258
00:09:27.089 –> 00:09:27.589
– overreactive,

259
00:09:28.049 –> 00:09:30.690
– mom calls this. If mom was only more

260
00:09:30.690 –> 00:09:31.190
– normal

261
00:09:31.649 –> 00:09:32.149
– because

262
00:09:32.850 –> 00:09:35.190
– a common dynamic… This is not all dynamics.

263
00:09:35.250 –> 00:09:38.044
– A common dynamic is the stark difference

264
00:09:38.424 –> 00:09:39.245
– to mom’s

265
00:09:39.705 –> 00:09:40.205
– reactivity

266
00:09:40.585 –> 00:09:43.325
– is dad’s coolness. Mhmm. Like, he’s the easygoing

267
00:09:43.384 –> 00:09:45.625
– one. He’s the charismatic one. He’s the fun

268
00:09:45.625 –> 00:09:48.424
– one. And so mom looks crazy. Mhmm. And

269
00:09:48.424 –> 00:09:50.445
– it’s natural too to defend…

270
00:09:50.840 –> 00:09:52.679
– You know, I love my mom and my

271
00:09:52.679 –> 00:09:55.340
– dad. Right? So it’s it’s natural to defend

272
00:09:55.879 –> 00:09:57.960
– one of the parties when it feels as

273
00:09:57.960 –> 00:09:59.720
– if one of the other parties is trying

274
00:09:59.720 –> 00:10:01.639
– to attack the integrity of the other one.

275
00:10:01.639 –> 00:10:04.425
– Right? Okay. So I was telling my client…

276
00:10:04.425 –> 00:10:06.105
– Like, I was saying this in the presentation.

277
00:10:06.105 –> 00:10:08.205
– I’m so glad you mentioned that, Rylan, because

278
00:10:08.504 –> 00:10:11.085
– I said adult children will always

279
00:10:11.865 –> 00:10:14.345
– pick a good good and bad person, like

280
00:10:14.345 –> 00:10:16.925
– a good and bad character because by nature,

281
00:10:17.490 –> 00:10:19.809
– we have to find someone to blame. Mhmm.

282
00:10:19.809 –> 00:10:21.990
– If we think about when somebody dies,

283
00:10:22.850 –> 00:10:25.330
– we always have to blame blame someone. The

284
00:10:25.330 –> 00:10:27.409
– doctor didn’t take care. Mom didn’t take care

285
00:10:27.409 –> 00:10:29.330
– enough. We we didn’t get there in time.

286
00:10:29.330 –> 00:10:32.095
– The sibling neglected him. Mhmm. Like, it’s there’s

287
00:10:32.095 –> 00:10:33.315
– always a blame

288
00:10:34.254 –> 00:10:35.794
– when there’s an… A, like,

289
00:10:36.335 –> 00:10:37.075
– a catastrophic

290
00:10:37.615 –> 00:10:38.674
– thing that happens,

291
00:10:38.975 –> 00:10:41.394
– and mom is normally the one to blame.

292
00:10:41.855 –> 00:10:43.475
– Not always. Not always,

293
00:10:43.934 –> 00:10:46.174
– but often. Because it it can be the

294
00:10:46.174 –> 00:10:46.995
– case where

295
00:10:48.529 –> 00:10:51.110
– where the children have been privy

296
00:10:51.570 –> 00:10:52.389
– to dad’s

297
00:10:52.850 –> 00:10:54.470
– behavior towards mom,

298
00:10:54.769 –> 00:10:56.929
– and then they become very protective of a

299
00:10:56.929 –> 00:10:58.230
– mom. Right?

300
00:10:58.529 –> 00:11:01.090
– But then they feel guilt. Mhmm. Then there’s

301
00:11:01.090 –> 00:11:02.389
– a guilt. And so

302
00:11:02.914 –> 00:11:07.714
– my presentation name was divided loyalties. Mhmm. And

303
00:11:07.714 –> 00:11:09.174
– part of that is is

304
00:11:09.634 –> 00:11:11.814
– the going back and forth between

305
00:11:12.115 –> 00:11:14.034
– I’m loyal to mom or I’m loyal to

306
00:11:14.034 –> 00:11:15.954
– dad. I’m loyal to mom and I’m loyal

307
00:11:15.954 –> 00:11:16.559
– to dad.

308
00:11:17.120 –> 00:11:19.460
– And the reason why this is so

309
00:11:20.000 –> 00:11:23.539
– hurtful in the adult child system is because

310
00:11:24.399 –> 00:11:25.139
– the parents

311
00:11:25.679 –> 00:11:28.240
– should be serving as as what I call

312
00:11:28.240 –> 00:11:28.980
– the master

313
00:11:30.004 –> 00:11:30.504
– regulators…

314
00:11:31.365 –> 00:11:32.424
– Emotional regulators

315
00:11:32.804 –> 00:11:35.125
– of the family. Right? And when they’re not

316
00:11:35.125 –> 00:11:37.544
– doing that, it becomes wonky.

317
00:11:38.164 –> 00:11:40.404
– And so the child tries… The adult child

318
00:11:40.404 –> 00:11:41.705
– tries to find equilibrium.

319
00:11:42.164 –> 00:11:43.610
– Mhmm. I I feel like I’m going down

320
00:11:43.610 –> 00:11:45.370
– a rabbit path. But I think you’re getting

321
00:11:45.370 –> 00:11:47.690
– the point. We get pulled no matter what

322
00:11:47.690 –> 00:11:48.429
– we see.

323
00:11:48.889 –> 00:11:50.809
– The be… That’s the behavior. So that’s what

324
00:11:50.809 –> 00:11:52.169
– I was trying to say is that those

325
00:11:52.169 –> 00:11:52.910
– are the common

326
00:11:53.450 –> 00:11:53.950
– behaviors

327
00:11:54.410 –> 00:11:55.070
– and dynamics

328
00:11:55.735 –> 00:11:57.575
– that you would see. Yeah. From the different

329
00:11:57.575 –> 00:11:59.415
– from the different, and I I don’t wanna

330
00:11:59.415 –> 00:12:01.415
– go down this rabbit hole, but I do

331
00:12:01.415 –> 00:12:03.335
– want to speak to it before we forget

332
00:12:03.335 –> 00:12:04.934
– because I do think it’s very I do

333
00:12:04.934 –> 00:12:06.855
– think it’s very… One I wrote down, we’ll

334
00:12:06.855 –> 00:12:08.054
– come back to it. But the other one,

335
00:12:08.054 –> 00:12:09.415
– I do think… I just don’t wanna… I

336
00:12:09.415 –> 00:12:11.549
– wanna bring it up right now. Yeah. So

337
00:12:12.009 –> 00:12:13.850
– a dynamic that I have seen is that…

338
00:12:13.850 –> 00:12:15.690
– And again, I just want everybody listening to

339
00:12:15.690 –> 00:12:17.629
– this. When we say these, we’re not accusing.

340
00:12:18.169 –> 00:12:19.850
– None of these things always happen. So I

341
00:12:19.850 –> 00:12:21.690
– just want all the listeners to understand, these

342
00:12:21.690 –> 00:12:23.115
– are just examples of

343
00:12:23.514 –> 00:12:25.674
– different families and different dynamics. In no way

344
00:12:25.674 –> 00:12:28.235
– are we accusing every betrayed partner of doing

345
00:12:28.235 –> 00:12:30.394
– this and every father or mother from doing

346
00:12:30.394 –> 00:12:32.394
– this. I have seen… And it and it

347
00:12:32.394 –> 00:12:34.554
– depends. I’ve seen it twice. Sometimes it’s early

348
00:12:34.554 –> 00:12:36.789
– on in the… Close to the discovery, and

349
00:12:36.789 –> 00:12:38.870
– sometimes it’s a year or two after the

350
00:12:38.870 –> 00:12:39.370
– discovery.

351
00:12:39.829 –> 00:12:43.269
– The betrayed partner will, through whatever, through the

352
00:12:43.269 –> 00:12:45.909
– dynamic, but the the betrayed… You know, the

353
00:12:45.909 –> 00:12:48.089
– the mother who was betrayed by her husband,

354
00:12:48.434 –> 00:12:50.035
– They’ll come to this point where she begins

355
00:12:50.035 –> 00:12:52.514
– to recruit the children to her point of

356
00:12:52.514 –> 00:12:54.695
– view and actually turn them against

357
00:12:55.075 –> 00:12:57.554
– their father. Can you speak to this? Because

358
00:12:57.554 –> 00:12:58.754
– I see it happen at both times. Like

359
00:12:58.754 –> 00:13:00.274
– I said, I’ve seen it happen in the

360
00:13:00.274 –> 00:13:02.129
– beginning just, I think, because of the pain

361
00:13:02.129 –> 00:13:03.330
– and the hurt, and I’ve also seen it

362
00:13:03.330 –> 00:13:05.169
– happen around a year or two later, I

363
00:13:05.169 –> 00:13:07.750
– think, when maybe some of the expectations of

364
00:13:07.970 –> 00:13:09.429
– healing have not been met.

365
00:13:09.809 –> 00:13:12.210
– Talk about that dynamic. Obviously, I think we

366
00:13:12.210 –> 00:13:14.690
– all agree that doing that blatantly is unhealthy,

367
00:13:14.690 –> 00:13:16.065
– but I think it happens by accident. Accident.

368
00:13:16.065 –> 00:13:17.544
– I don’t think any of these… I don’t

369
00:13:17.544 –> 00:13:19.644
– think any of the betrayed partners do this

370
00:13:19.705 –> 00:13:21.785
– intentionally ever. But can you speak to that

371
00:13:21.785 –> 00:13:23.644
– dynamic a little bit before we move on?

372
00:13:23.865 –> 00:13:26.664
– Oh, yeah. So I would say at its

373
00:13:26.664 –> 00:13:28.524
– core, that is the partner’s

374
00:13:29.065 –> 00:13:29.565
– attempt

375
00:13:30.179 –> 00:13:33.220
– to drive the family back to some sense

376
00:13:33.220 –> 00:13:34.440
– of secure functioning

377
00:13:34.820 –> 00:13:37.539
– the best way she can. Mhmm. Like… So

378
00:13:37.539 –> 00:13:40.120
– anything… Like, I just wanna put a disclaimer

379
00:13:40.259 –> 00:13:41.879
– here. Our brains,

380
00:13:42.259 –> 00:13:44.919
– our attachment systems are wired to connect.

381
00:13:45.684 –> 00:13:46.584
– We biologically

382
00:13:47.524 –> 00:13:49.225
– don’t know what to do with betrayal.

383
00:13:49.684 –> 00:13:52.485
– Like, our brains don’t know. Our minds do,

384
00:13:52.485 –> 00:13:55.204
– but our brains don’t. So when a mom

385
00:13:55.204 –> 00:13:57.445
– responds in that way where she, like, tries

386
00:13:57.445 –> 00:13:58.105
– to group

387
00:13:58.759 –> 00:14:01.000
– somebody around her, like, the kids around her

388
00:14:01.000 –> 00:14:01.500
– idea,

389
00:14:01.960 –> 00:14:04.679
– she’s trying to navigate something her brain has…

390
00:14:04.679 –> 00:14:07.399
– Was never meant to do anyways. Right? But

391
00:14:07.399 –> 00:14:08.379
– at the core,

392
00:14:08.759 –> 00:14:10.059
– she’s trying to

393
00:14:10.535 –> 00:14:12.955
– find equilibrium. She’s trying to find…

394
00:14:13.335 –> 00:14:15.514
– You know, there’s a function for the family.

395
00:14:16.055 –> 00:14:18.934
– And then I wanna be careful here because

396
00:14:18.934 –> 00:14:21.575
– this is different for every mom. Mhmm. Or

397
00:14:21.575 –> 00:14:23.415
– let’s say it’s a it’s a, you know,

398
00:14:23.415 –> 00:14:23.915
– male

399
00:14:24.500 –> 00:14:26.580
– betrayal towards a man looks a little bit

400
00:14:26.580 –> 00:14:28.580
– different in how they respond. They just get

401
00:14:28.580 –> 00:14:30.659
– angry and quiet and remove themselves from the

402
00:14:30.659 –> 00:14:31.159
– kids.

403
00:14:31.620 –> 00:14:33.799
– Or I feel like it’s often more

404
00:14:34.500 –> 00:14:35.000
– men

405
00:14:35.379 –> 00:14:36.839
– who group the kids

406
00:14:37.220 –> 00:14:37.720
– around

407
00:14:38.259 –> 00:14:38.759
– mom

408
00:14:39.365 –> 00:14:41.464
– then mom mom is… Like,

409
00:14:41.924 –> 00:14:42.424
– typically,

410
00:14:43.044 –> 00:14:44.504
– the mom would be more

411
00:14:45.365 –> 00:14:45.865
– passive

412
00:14:46.884 –> 00:14:48.105
– than direct.

413
00:14:48.485 –> 00:14:49.384
– Yes. Right?

414
00:14:49.764 –> 00:14:52.245
– And so… But if we’re talking specifically about

415
00:14:52.245 –> 00:14:55.000
– the mom, the one thing is is considering

416
00:14:55.059 –> 00:14:57.139
– the family dynamic. Like, what… How do we

417
00:14:57.139 –> 00:14:59.779
– keep the family together? And then secondly, there’s

418
00:14:59.779 –> 00:15:03.639
– always a personal reason. Right? And often because

419
00:15:03.700 –> 00:15:04.200
– moms

420
00:15:05.264 –> 00:15:07.345
– give up their whole entire lives and they

421
00:15:07.345 –> 00:15:09.605
– invest all their time into their little families,

422
00:15:10.144 –> 00:15:12.165
– into it being the specific

423
00:15:12.545 –> 00:15:13.445
– family unit,

424
00:15:13.904 –> 00:15:16.004
– if they lose their kids, they lose themselves.

425
00:15:16.225 –> 00:15:18.625
– Mhmm. Mhmm. So it’s a… It’s not… It’s

426
00:15:18.625 –> 00:15:21.480
– like, I don’t wanna call it selfish because

427
00:15:23.139 –> 00:15:26.120
– they’re they’re responding from a a deep hurt.

428
00:15:26.259 –> 00:15:28.840
– Right? But truly, at the core,

429
00:15:29.779 –> 00:15:32.740
– there’s a risk there. If I lose the

430
00:15:32.740 –> 00:15:34.279
– integrity of my kids

431
00:15:35.024 –> 00:15:36.865
– and then what they view of me after

432
00:15:36.865 –> 00:15:39.584
– I’ve forsaken my whole entire life, I’ve given

433
00:15:39.584 –> 00:15:41.424
– up my career, I’ve done all of this,

434
00:15:41.424 –> 00:15:43.745
– then I’ve done it for nothing. Yes. Yes.

435
00:15:43.745 –> 00:15:46.144
– Yes. So there is that element and… But

436
00:15:46.144 –> 00:15:47.365
– it’s different for…

437
00:15:48.360 –> 00:15:50.539
– Women don’t always want revenge.

438
00:15:51.000 –> 00:15:53.559
– Men want revenge. Yes. Yes. They’re gonna… If

439
00:15:53.559 –> 00:15:55.820
– they’re gonna group the kids around, it’s revengeful.

440
00:15:56.200 –> 00:15:58.120
– Sure. If the if the moms do it,

441
00:15:58.120 –> 00:15:59.019
– it’s more protective

442
00:15:59.399 –> 00:16:01.945
– of, like, can you see me? Can you

443
00:16:01.945 –> 00:16:03.784
– see my hurt? And I’m in sent in

444
00:16:03.784 –> 00:16:05.225
– this. Yeah. And you brought up such a

445
00:16:05.225 –> 00:16:07.485
– great point, Carly. Like, this is all,

446
00:16:07.865 –> 00:16:09.725
– you know, for lack of better words, subconscious.

447
00:16:09.865 –> 00:16:12.264
– Right? Like, our our desire to to save

448
00:16:12.264 –> 00:16:14.445
– the family, our desire to save our relationship

449
00:16:14.745 –> 00:16:16.799
– with our kids. We are… Your connection is

450
00:16:17.200 –> 00:16:19.200
– connection is is… It’s so important, and we

451
00:16:19.200 –> 00:16:20.799
– all wanna make sure that we’re seen in

452
00:16:20.799 –> 00:16:22.159
– a certain way. And so a lot of

453
00:16:22.159 –> 00:16:24.580
– these things while, you know, from the outside

454
00:16:24.639 –> 00:16:26.320
– and and maybe the way Carly and I

455
00:16:26.320 –> 00:16:27.600
– make it sound, it sounds like, oh, hey.

456
00:16:27.600 –> 00:16:30.024
– All these unhealthy things are happening. Carly and

457
00:16:30.024 –> 00:16:31.625
– I do those unhealthy things in our own

458
00:16:31.625 –> 00:16:33.625
– life too, so we’re not we’re not… You

459
00:16:33.625 –> 00:16:35.465
– know, these things are are flying under the

460
00:16:35.465 –> 00:16:37.065
– radar. We’re just doing the best we can

461
00:16:37.065 –> 00:16:38.424
– to… And I do want… You brought up

462
00:16:38.424 –> 00:16:39.544
– a good point because I do want you

463
00:16:39.544 –> 00:16:40.985
– to speak to that point. It’s… I think

464
00:16:40.985 –> 00:16:42.664
– it would only be fair to flip over

465
00:16:42.664 –> 00:16:43.565
– to the

466
00:16:44.110 –> 00:16:46.690
– dad betraying partner in this example

467
00:16:47.070 –> 00:16:48.750
– because you bring up such a great point,

468
00:16:48.750 –> 00:16:51.250
– especially in that first, you know, year of

469
00:16:51.470 –> 00:16:54.769
– crisis and anger and just betrayal craziness.

470
00:16:55.149 –> 00:16:57.250
– I do agree with you. I do see

471
00:16:57.714 –> 00:16:59.554
– the calm dad, you know, which is always

472
00:16:59.554 –> 00:17:01.554
– so obnoxious because he always comes off as

473
00:17:01.554 –> 00:17:03.154
– as collected. I mean, even though, like you

474
00:17:03.154 –> 00:17:05.234
– said, underneath it all is this, you know,

475
00:17:05.234 –> 00:17:08.434
– complete total entitlement and betrayal, etcetera. But you

476
00:17:08.434 –> 00:17:09.954
– do bring up a good point. There is

477
00:17:09.954 –> 00:17:13.190
– this, hey, I hurt her. Sorry. She’s so

478
00:17:13.190 –> 00:17:15.609
– crazy. But it’s still not a unified,

479
00:17:16.389 –> 00:17:18.329
– I hurt your mom. We’re in this together.

480
00:17:18.629 –> 00:17:21.349
– It… It’s very much, she’s acting nuts. I’m

481
00:17:21.349 –> 00:17:23.750
– sorry. She’s acting nuts. I know I caused

482
00:17:23.750 –> 00:17:25.750
– it, but she’s still acting crazy. But he’s

483
00:17:25.750 –> 00:17:28.045
– still in the same way kind of recruiting

484
00:17:28.045 –> 00:17:29.265
– the kids to his,

485
00:17:29.565 –> 00:17:31.005
– you know, I wish she could act like…

486
00:17:31.005 –> 00:17:32.285
– I I wish she could act as calm

487
00:17:32.285 –> 00:17:33.884
– and cool as me. Can can you speak

488
00:17:33.884 –> 00:17:35.404
– to that dynamic as well, or is it

489
00:17:35.404 –> 00:17:36.625
– basically the same thing?

490
00:17:36.924 –> 00:17:39.244
– Men listening to this who have adult children

491
00:17:39.244 –> 00:17:40.740
– to be careful. Right? Because I don’t want

492
00:17:40.740 –> 00:17:42.820
– them to cause any harm. And then if

493
00:17:42.820 –> 00:17:44.900
– this has already been done, I also want

494
00:17:44.900 –> 00:17:45.880
– you to help them

495
00:17:46.180 –> 00:17:48.339
– apologize and kind of do some some some

496
00:17:48.339 –> 00:17:50.420
– repair work. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. I think I

497
00:17:50.420 –> 00:17:51.640
– wanna go to

498
00:17:52.339 –> 00:17:54.500
– the ideal situation because I think it will

499
00:17:54.500 –> 00:17:57.755
– speak to both. Mhmm. And the ideal situation

500
00:17:57.755 –> 00:17:58.255
– whether

501
00:17:58.634 –> 00:18:01.994
– this response has happened or not is based

502
00:18:01.994 –> 00:18:04.335
– off the principle and the premise that

503
00:18:04.634 –> 00:18:05.615
– if the parents

504
00:18:06.714 –> 00:18:09.375
– are the life force of the family,

505
00:18:09.900 –> 00:18:12.859
– They’ve gotta be okay first. Mhmm. And so

506
00:18:12.859 –> 00:18:14.400
– because there’s been a disempowerment,

507
00:18:15.820 –> 00:18:16.559
– it is

508
00:18:16.940 –> 00:18:19.900
– a a disempowerment and a disenfranchise of one

509
00:18:19.900 –> 00:18:21.680
– partner. It is the responsibility

510
00:18:22.059 –> 00:18:23.039
– of that partner

511
00:18:23.515 –> 00:18:25.914
– to take the charge and the lead. And

512
00:18:25.914 –> 00:18:27.934
– when I say that, it… It’s it’s accountability.

513
00:18:28.234 –> 00:18:29.994
– It’s saying, hey. This is me. It’s not

514
00:18:29.994 –> 00:18:31.515
– your mom or, hey. This is me. It’s

515
00:18:31.515 –> 00:18:32.494
– not your dad.

516
00:18:33.035 –> 00:18:34.015
– It’s my responsibility.

517
00:18:35.035 –> 00:18:36.974
– And then from there on,

518
00:18:37.339 –> 00:18:39.580
– do… If if the children are interested doing

519
00:18:39.580 –> 00:18:41.759
– some sort of disclosure and bringing it together.

520
00:18:42.700 –> 00:18:44.160
– But I do have something…

521
00:18:44.539 –> 00:18:46.640
– A caveat there is that…

522
00:18:47.259 –> 00:18:50.240
– Well, there’s two things. The first is…

523
00:18:50.785 –> 00:18:52.944
– I’m saying this… I’m gonna say what people

524
00:18:52.944 –> 00:18:53.444
– know

525
00:18:53.744 –> 00:18:55.444
– but are afraid to say it.

526
00:18:55.984 –> 00:18:57.125
– And that is

527
00:18:57.585 –> 00:18:58.085
– often…

528
00:18:58.625 –> 00:18:59.684
– This is very risky.

529
00:19:00.625 –> 00:19:01.125
– Often,

530
00:19:01.424 –> 00:19:03.045
– when there has been betrayal

531
00:19:03.424 –> 00:19:04.565
– towards a female,

532
00:19:05.309 –> 00:19:07.250
– there’s often an an undercurrent

533
00:19:07.710 –> 00:19:08.210
– addiction.

534
00:19:08.829 –> 00:19:12.130
– Right? Because of idea of, like, boys access

535
00:19:12.190 –> 00:19:14.529
– porn quicker and they’re sexualized

536
00:19:14.829 –> 00:19:17.250
– younger and and so that happens.

537
00:19:17.914 –> 00:19:20.095
– But often and not always,

538
00:19:20.634 –> 00:19:22.154
– because I know a lot of good men

539
00:19:22.154 –> 00:19:23.375
– that have been betrayed

540
00:19:23.835 –> 00:19:25.454
– by no fault of their own,

541
00:19:25.755 –> 00:19:27.294
– but often the kids

542
00:19:27.914 –> 00:19:28.734
– will see

543
00:19:29.275 –> 00:19:30.255
– dad is absent,

544
00:19:31.250 –> 00:19:32.950
– dad doesn’t listen to mom,

545
00:19:33.570 –> 00:19:34.390
– dad doesn’t…

546
00:19:34.930 –> 00:19:37.250
– Because dad doesn’t have a relationship with us,

547
00:19:37.250 –> 00:19:40.049
– but they they know something’s wrong, but they

548
00:19:40.049 –> 00:19:43.490
– can’t pinpoint it, that it’s almost like adult

549
00:19:43.490 –> 00:19:45.269
– children understand more

550
00:19:45.835 –> 00:19:48.555
– when mom cheats Mhmm. Mhmm. Than when dad

551
00:19:48.555 –> 00:19:49.615
– does. Not always,

552
00:19:49.914 –> 00:19:52.095
– but I have seen it where it’s like,

553
00:19:52.154 –> 00:19:53.835
– oh, but dad is so absent. Dad was

554
00:19:53.835 –> 00:19:56.075
– always working. I think the confusion for the

555
00:19:56.075 –> 00:19:58.720
– adult child comes in when it’s like, but

556
00:19:58.720 –> 00:20:01.059
– I thought you guys were so happy. Yeah.

557
00:20:01.119 –> 00:20:03.460
– Right? And so I think that’s the

558
00:20:04.319 –> 00:20:06.960
– the the internal… Like, the crazy making for

559
00:20:06.960 –> 00:20:07.539
– the kids.

560
00:20:07.839 –> 00:20:09.839
– What they see and then what the parents

561
00:20:09.839 –> 00:20:10.819
– don’t tell them

562
00:20:11.414 –> 00:20:13.134
– because they’re young and it feels like… And

563
00:20:13.134 –> 00:20:14.215
– I don’t know if the… Now is a

564
00:20:14.215 –> 00:20:15.735
– good time to go to that or if

565
00:20:15.735 –> 00:20:17.174
– you have something that would be… Would make

566
00:20:17.174 –> 00:20:18.475
– sense to bring up before.

567
00:20:18.855 –> 00:20:20.154
– But you said something

568
00:20:20.455 –> 00:20:22.615
– earlier that I really wanna get to, which

569
00:20:22.615 –> 00:20:23.115
– is

570
00:20:23.549 –> 00:20:24.289
– this whole

571
00:20:24.590 –> 00:20:25.090
– betrayal

572
00:20:25.630 –> 00:20:28.509
– gaslighting thing that you’re doing to your kids.

573
00:20:28.509 –> 00:20:30.289
– Right? Because I think inherently,

574
00:20:30.830 –> 00:20:32.190
– you know, the same thing we talk about

575
00:20:32.190 –> 00:20:34.590
– with the betrayal dynamic of, oh, hey. I’m

576
00:20:34.590 –> 00:20:36.674
– living this life and you’re actually not. Right?

577
00:20:36.674 –> 00:20:38.755
– And then you’re saying all these things Yeah.

578
00:20:38.995 –> 00:20:41.475
– That whether you’re intentionally gaslighting or gaslighting by

579
00:20:41.475 –> 00:20:42.615
– accident, you’re basically

580
00:20:43.315 –> 00:20:46.195
– giving… I mean, you’re telling everyone that everything

581
00:20:46.195 –> 00:20:48.195
– is one way and then it’s not. Kids

582
00:20:48.195 –> 00:20:49.740
– are included in this too. I really want

583
00:20:51.660 –> 00:20:51.713
– you to speak to that because this is

584
00:20:51.713 –> 00:20:52.619
– not something that is talked about and these

585
00:20:52.619 –> 00:20:53.759
– kids have been

586
00:20:54.140 –> 00:20:56.140
– betrayed and gaslit to a degree as well.

587
00:20:56.140 –> 00:20:57.579
– Can you talk about that dynamic or is

588
00:20:57.579 –> 00:20:59.500
– there something we should get to before? Well,

589
00:20:59.500 –> 00:21:01.099
– no. I think I can speak to that,

590
00:21:01.099 –> 00:21:03.519
– but I I will tell you something personal.

591
00:21:04.644 –> 00:21:07.065
– A response I have when I hear somebody

592
00:21:07.125 –> 00:21:07.625
– says,

593
00:21:09.285 –> 00:21:10.984
– oh, we’re gaslighting the children.

594
00:21:11.444 –> 00:21:13.285
– And I think the thing is that I

595
00:21:13.285 –> 00:21:16.105
– have a a hair… An inherent, like, defense

596
00:21:16.404 –> 00:21:18.569
– when I hear that because I… When… As

597
00:21:18.569 –> 00:21:20.429
– soon as we put a label to something,

598
00:21:20.650 –> 00:21:22.890
– it makes it harder to talk about because

599
00:21:22.890 –> 00:21:24.730
– it’s like it’s given a title and you

600
00:21:24.730 –> 00:21:26.669
– can’t… Then then intention

601
00:21:27.609 –> 00:21:28.109
– goes

602
00:21:28.890 –> 00:21:31.150
– missing. Right? It just goes missing.

603
00:21:31.769 –> 00:21:32.589
– And so

604
00:21:32.890 –> 00:21:33.549
– I think

605
00:21:34.224 –> 00:21:36.724
– a better way to frame it is that,

606
00:21:37.024 –> 00:21:38.724
– like, it’s not a… It’s not

607
00:21:39.424 –> 00:21:42.704
– gaslighting in the sense of intentional misleading, but

608
00:21:42.704 –> 00:21:43.684
– it is misleading.

609
00:21:43.984 –> 00:21:45.924
– Sure. It it really is misleading,

610
00:21:46.730 –> 00:21:48.029
– but with good intentions.

611
00:21:48.650 –> 00:21:51.049
– Yeah. It’s a very weird dynamic because I

612
00:21:51.049 –> 00:21:53.369
– don’t know a single parent who doesn’t tell

613
00:21:53.369 –> 00:21:56.090
– their kids because of a bad intention. Yes.

614
00:21:56.090 –> 00:21:58.250
– Yes. Right. And semantics do… And and I

615
00:21:58.250 –> 00:21:59.529
– do… You know, I don’t wanna go down

616
00:21:59.529 –> 00:22:00.970
– that rabbit hole, but I do just wanna

617
00:22:00.970 –> 00:22:03.515
– highlight what Carly said. Semantics do matter. Oh,

618
00:22:03.515 –> 00:22:05.914
– okay…. Do matter. If it’s… We gotta be

619
00:22:05.914 –> 00:22:08.875
– very careful with words like gaslighting, very careful

620
00:22:08.875 –> 00:22:11.035
– with words, even betrayal. We, you know, we

621
00:22:11.035 –> 00:22:12.234
– just need to… You know, if we’re gonna

622
00:22:12.234 –> 00:22:14.394
– use a word, it… We need to really

623
00:22:14.394 –> 00:22:16.500
– make sure it applies. I always say, let’s

624
00:22:16.500 –> 00:22:17.700
– see if we can’t just talk about the

625
00:22:17.700 –> 00:22:19.539
– situation without the word, which I really liked

626
00:22:19.539 –> 00:22:21.960
– what you just did there was the situation

627
00:22:22.340 –> 00:22:24.420
– misled the children. I love that. But please

628
00:22:24.420 –> 00:22:26.500
– continue. I do appreciate what you did there.

629
00:22:26.500 –> 00:22:28.740
– And I will also say another word that

630
00:22:28.740 –> 00:22:30.934
– I, like, go no. No. No. No. Let’s

631
00:22:30.934 –> 00:22:33.494
– not pathologize that is the simple term of

632
00:22:33.494 –> 00:22:33.994
– triangulation.

633
00:22:34.615 –> 00:22:36.695
– Yeah. Sure. Right? Because it… You can ask

634
00:22:36.695 –> 00:22:38.855
– me about that later. But back to the

635
00:22:38.855 –> 00:22:39.994
– gaslighting thing.

636
00:22:40.535 –> 00:22:41.195
– I think

637
00:22:42.099 –> 00:22:44.259
– the parents are making a decision when the

638
00:22:44.259 –> 00:22:46.659
– kids are younger based off of how they…

639
00:22:46.659 –> 00:22:48.899
– How the system is run, what the children

640
00:22:48.899 –> 00:22:50.740
– are like, what is the setting in the

641
00:22:50.740 –> 00:22:52.500
– moment, are they in the middle of, like,

642
00:22:52.500 –> 00:22:54.579
– final exams, do they have to apply to

643
00:22:54.579 –> 00:22:55.079
– college?

644
00:22:55.525 –> 00:22:57.625
– Like, it’s like there’s so many things

645
00:22:57.924 –> 00:23:00.585
– because the parent isn’t just thinking of themselves.

646
00:23:00.884 –> 00:23:02.265
– They’re thinking of themselves,

647
00:23:02.644 –> 00:23:05.525
– the marriage, the family unit, the child’s past,

648
00:23:05.525 –> 00:23:07.924
– present, and future. And so if they’re not

649
00:23:07.924 –> 00:23:11.090
– saying, they’re saying that think… Considering all those

650
00:23:11.090 –> 00:23:12.070
– things. Right?

651
00:23:12.529 –> 00:23:15.250
– And so, yes, sometimes you don’t tell the

652
00:23:15.250 –> 00:23:15.750
– child.

653
00:23:16.289 –> 00:23:18.049
– And the hope is that later in life

654
00:23:18.049 –> 00:23:20.450
– when you do tell the child, the the

655
00:23:20.450 –> 00:23:20.950
– relationship

656
00:23:21.330 –> 00:23:21.990
– is such

657
00:23:22.304 –> 00:23:23.044
– that there

658
00:23:23.384 –> 00:23:23.884
– is,

659
00:23:24.865 –> 00:23:27.904
– possibility for restoration and repair. Like, they have

660
00:23:27.904 –> 00:23:29.204
– the skills of listening,

661
00:23:29.984 –> 00:23:30.484
– empathizing.

662
00:23:31.105 –> 00:23:33.105
– So it’s not a dead end. Let’s say

663
00:23:33.105 –> 00:23:34.784
– you didn’t tell your kids because of the

664
00:23:34.784 –> 00:23:35.284
– timing,

665
00:23:35.659 –> 00:23:38.059
– and they’ll be pissed. They’re gonna be mad

666
00:23:38.059 –> 00:23:41.039
– because they’re… They they think they wanna know.

667
00:23:41.099 –> 00:23:42.880
– Right? And then sometimes

668
00:23:43.339 –> 00:23:45.740
– you have to tell the kids. Like, for

669
00:23:45.740 –> 00:23:46.240
– example,

670
00:23:46.619 –> 00:23:47.359
– this weekend,

671
00:23:48.255 –> 00:23:50.734
– the amount of times I’ve heard about,

672
00:23:51.055 –> 00:23:53.855
– law enforcement being involved Sure. Like, the kids

673
00:23:53.855 –> 00:23:55.695
– are going to be impacted. They don’t have

674
00:23:55.695 –> 00:23:57.234
– a choice they need to be told.

675
00:23:57.535 –> 00:23:58.994
– Right? And then also,

676
00:23:59.615 –> 00:24:01.555
– if there’s a stark difference

677
00:24:02.279 –> 00:24:04.220
– in the behavior of mom and dad,

678
00:24:04.680 –> 00:24:06.779
– the kids are going… They have to know.

679
00:24:06.920 –> 00:24:08.599
– Mhmm. Right? They have to know, and you

680
00:24:08.599 –> 00:24:10.680
– don’t have to tell them what. You have

681
00:24:10.680 –> 00:24:13.720
– to validate. Yes. Some things have changed. Yes.

682
00:24:13.720 –> 00:24:16.194
– Things are gonna change. Yes, you’ve noticed mom

683
00:24:16.194 –> 00:24:17.654
– and dad’s behavior change.

684
00:24:17.954 –> 00:24:19.714
– What is it that you’re noticing? What are

685
00:24:19.714 –> 00:24:21.315
– you feeling? What is it that you’re making

686
00:24:21.315 –> 00:24:22.855
– up because of our behavior?

687
00:24:23.315 –> 00:24:25.414
– You don’t have to tell them until later.

688
00:24:25.875 –> 00:24:26.375
– But,

689
00:24:26.755 –> 00:24:28.615
– like, I I always tell my clients,

690
00:24:29.119 –> 00:24:29.940
– I have this

691
00:24:30.400 –> 00:24:32.580
– metaphor where I say paint the dragon red.

692
00:24:32.720 –> 00:24:34.559
– Like, if there was a a dragon in

693
00:24:34.559 –> 00:24:36.799
– the room, like, just paint it red so

694
00:24:36.799 –> 00:24:38.019
– that you can see it.

695
00:24:38.320 –> 00:24:40.500
– Label that there is something going on.

696
00:24:40.799 –> 00:24:42.259
– You don’t have to give details,

697
00:24:42.720 –> 00:24:44.654
– but but the kid knows. And I think

698
00:24:44.734 –> 00:24:46.894
– that is not gaslighting or misleading. No. No.

699
00:24:46.894 –> 00:24:48.174
– Can… And can you speak to… I don’t

700
00:24:48.174 –> 00:24:50.414
– wanna get into details, but a question that

701
00:24:50.414 –> 00:24:52.575
– comes up quite often is when do we

702
00:24:52.575 –> 00:24:53.555
– tell the kids?

703
00:24:53.934 –> 00:24:55.934
– How do we tell the kids? Carly, is

704
00:24:55.934 –> 00:24:58.029
– there a resource? A… I mean, what can

705
00:24:58.029 –> 00:24:59.549
– you, you know, now is not the time

706
00:24:59.549 –> 00:25:01.309
– to really get into the details of it.

707
00:25:01.309 –> 00:25:02.609
– But can you,

708
00:25:03.230 –> 00:25:05.070
– answer that for the parents listening to this?

709
00:25:05.070 –> 00:25:06.589
– Because I… It’s, you know, and and you

710
00:25:06.589 –> 00:25:08.109
– can give them answers for all of this

711
00:25:08.109 –> 00:25:10.670
– because obviously telling adult children is different than

712
00:25:10.670 –> 00:25:14.125
– telling teenage children and and tiny children. Let’s

713
00:25:14.125 –> 00:25:15.244
– speak to that real quick because that is

714
00:25:15.244 –> 00:25:16.765
– probably my number one question I get is

715
00:25:16.765 –> 00:25:18.285
– how do I tell them and what’s the

716
00:25:18.285 –> 00:25:20.045
– proper way to do this? Is it therapeutic?

717
00:25:20.045 –> 00:25:21.325
– Is it at home? How does this whole

718
00:25:21.325 –> 00:25:24.045
– thing work? Yep. So I love this question.

719
00:25:24.045 –> 00:25:25.805
– It’s my favorite question in the world when

720
00:25:25.805 –> 00:25:27.105
– it comes to this because

721
00:25:27.799 –> 00:25:30.519
– the disclosure to adult kids is not the

722
00:25:30.519 –> 00:25:32.539
– same as disclosure to

723
00:25:33.000 –> 00:25:36.539
– partners because partners have a different relationship. Right?

724
00:25:36.839 –> 00:25:38.839
– So it’s not when and what to tell

725
00:25:38.839 –> 00:25:40.919
– them. It’s you first find out what they

726
00:25:40.919 –> 00:25:42.359
– what they know and what they want to

727
00:25:42.359 –> 00:25:44.404
– know. And so you go to the kids

728
00:25:44.404 –> 00:25:45.464
– and you say, hey.

729
00:25:46.164 –> 00:25:48.505
– Let’s not be naive. What have you noticed?

730
00:25:48.805 –> 00:25:51.605
– Like, hey. The the dynamics changed. What are

731
00:25:51.605 –> 00:25:53.144
– you making up? What are you believing?

732
00:25:54.005 –> 00:25:56.025
– And then you inch it a little bit.

733
00:25:56.164 –> 00:25:56.640
– Mhmm.

734
00:25:57.119 –> 00:25:59.920
– Okay. So there’s been infill… Infidelity in the

735
00:25:59.920 –> 00:26:02.420
– in the relationship, or there’s been some some

736
00:26:02.640 –> 00:26:05.380
– compulsive behavior. Do you wanna know more? Yes.

737
00:26:05.599 –> 00:26:07.680
– You you have to base it off of

738
00:26:07.680 –> 00:26:08.980
– every single child,

739
00:26:09.434 –> 00:26:12.654
– how you know every single child will respond.

740
00:26:13.034 –> 00:26:14.734
– It also depends on

741
00:26:15.115 –> 00:26:17.194
– whether you’re telling all the kids. Adult kids

742
00:26:17.194 –> 00:26:19.835
– don’t live together anymore than… Like, it used

743
00:26:19.835 –> 00:26:21.835
– to be that… Like, boomers used to live

744
00:26:21.835 –> 00:26:24.730
– five miles away from each other. Millennials are

745
00:26:24.730 –> 00:26:26.829
– all over the country now, and so

746
00:26:27.529 –> 00:26:30.509
– being practical about it is another another thing.

747
00:26:30.650 –> 00:26:32.029
– And then also considering,

748
00:26:32.890 –> 00:26:33.390
– sibling

749
00:26:33.849 –> 00:26:36.109
– positioning is super, super important.

750
00:26:36.875 –> 00:26:37.934
– If you have

751
00:26:39.355 –> 00:26:39.934
– a ringleader,

752
00:26:40.554 –> 00:26:42.714
– if you have a child who’s like, I

753
00:26:42.714 –> 00:26:45.034
– wanna know everything and give me all the

754
00:26:45.034 –> 00:26:45.534
– details,

755
00:26:45.835 –> 00:26:47.514
– you bet your bottom dollar, you tell that

756
00:26:47.514 –> 00:26:49.919
– kid first, the whole family’s gonna know. Mhmm.

757
00:26:49.919 –> 00:26:53.059
– So you have to be, like, strategic

758
00:26:53.519 –> 00:26:56.319
– about when and which kid based off of

759
00:26:56.319 –> 00:26:58.159
– how it’s gonna impact the family. And do

760
00:26:58.159 –> 00:27:00.639
– you recommend this being done there? Because I’ve

761
00:27:00.639 –> 00:27:02.339
– seen a lot of disagreement

762
00:27:02.799 –> 00:27:05.299
– between the partners on

763
00:27:06.215 –> 00:27:08.455
– what… How how to tell, who to tell,

764
00:27:08.455 –> 00:27:10.695
– when to tell. It’s it’s a very… It

765
00:27:10.695 –> 00:27:13.575
– adds another layer to this crisis phase. Do

766
00:27:13.575 –> 00:27:16.455
– you recommend this conversation happen in therapy around

767
00:27:16.455 –> 00:27:17.755
– the strategy of this?

768
00:27:18.089 –> 00:27:20.730
– Yeah. Absolutely. If they’re… If it’s accessible and

769
00:27:20.730 –> 00:27:22.190
– they can do it, then yes.

770
00:27:22.890 –> 00:27:23.390
– But

771
00:27:23.769 –> 00:27:27.529
– the principle stays. The… If if if it’s

772
00:27:27.529 –> 00:27:30.650
– possible, the principle stays that parents need to

773
00:27:30.650 –> 00:27:33.705
– be okay first. Mhmm. And from there on…

774
00:27:33.705 –> 00:27:35.865
– Let’s say it’s a couple that are choosing

775
00:27:35.865 –> 00:27:38.125
– to stay together or if it’s a couple

776
00:27:38.424 –> 00:27:40.664
– that are choosing to be separate, but they’re

777
00:27:40.664 –> 00:27:41.565
– still civil,

778
00:27:42.424 –> 00:27:44.940
– we wanna make sure that that the the

779
00:27:45.019 –> 00:27:47.579
– telling of the story is balanced. Mhmm. Right?

780
00:27:47.579 –> 00:27:50.480
– Like, you need to empower the the betrayed

781
00:27:50.539 –> 00:27:52.539
– spouse in the way the story is being

782
00:27:52.539 –> 00:27:53.519
– told. Right?

783
00:27:53.980 –> 00:27:57.039
– Let’s say, for instance, the family is split.

784
00:27:57.500 –> 00:27:58.240
– They’re like,

785
00:27:58.945 –> 00:28:00.085
– no. Right?

786
00:28:00.465 –> 00:28:02.805
– That makes it a lot more complicated

787
00:28:03.505 –> 00:28:05.825
– because it also depends on what the relationship

788
00:28:05.825 –> 00:28:07.365
– is like with the parents.

789
00:28:07.825 –> 00:28:09.205
– More often than not,

790
00:28:09.664 –> 00:28:11.285
– what happens at that point,

791
00:28:11.750 –> 00:28:13.350
– if the if the wife has to be

792
00:28:13.350 –> 00:28:14.490
– betrayed and she split,

793
00:28:14.950 –> 00:28:17.190
– it’s her story to tell. She can say

794
00:28:17.190 –> 00:28:19.529
– whatever she wants. It’s her story to tell.

795
00:28:19.670 –> 00:28:20.890
– She is no longer,

796
00:28:22.390 –> 00:28:24.170
– I mean, let me say this.

797
00:28:24.615 –> 00:28:27.434
– As human beings, we always wanna be kind

798
00:28:27.494 –> 00:28:29.494
– to our fellow human beings. We always wanna

799
00:28:29.494 –> 00:28:31.914
– operate in our values and our virtues.

800
00:28:32.934 –> 00:28:34.714
– But when there’s been abuse

801
00:28:35.734 –> 00:28:38.295
– of of, like, emotional abuse or whatever and

802
00:28:38.295 –> 00:28:39.434
– there’s a split

803
00:28:40.109 –> 00:28:41.809
– and the wife doesn’t feel…

804
00:28:42.109 –> 00:28:44.190
– Now the ex wife doesn’t feel or ex

805
00:28:44.190 –> 00:28:45.410
– husband doesn’t feel

806
00:28:46.109 –> 00:28:46.609
– aligned,

807
00:28:47.789 –> 00:28:50.029
– then then that person is in their own

808
00:28:50.029 –> 00:28:52.529
– bubble. Sure. They’re in their own ecosystem.

809
00:28:53.224 –> 00:28:55.065
– And what they say and don’t say is

810
00:28:55.065 –> 00:28:57.464
– for them to choose. We just hope that

811
00:28:57.464 –> 00:28:58.205
– they’re choosing

812
00:28:58.664 –> 00:29:01.065
– to do it kindly. Yeah. Sure. Right? So

813
00:29:01.065 –> 00:29:04.025
– it’s different depending on on each dynamic. There’s,

814
00:29:04.025 –> 00:29:06.825
– like, split and don’t like each other, split

815
00:29:06.825 –> 00:29:08.125
– and trying to operate

816
00:29:08.579 –> 00:29:11.220
– or staying together. Sure. I can see why

817
00:29:11.220 –> 00:29:12.900
– this topic… Oh my gosh. You could probably

818
00:29:12.900 –> 00:29:14.500
– talk about this for, like, five hours getting

819
00:29:14.500 –> 00:29:15.559
– the the dynamic.

820
00:29:15.859 –> 00:29:17.619
– So in the remaining time together, I kinda

821
00:29:17.619 –> 00:29:19.539
– want you to… I don’t know if you

822
00:29:19.539 –> 00:29:21.220
– you, you know, you’re fresh off with this.

823
00:29:21.220 –> 00:29:22.740
– So I’m not sure if you remember kinda

824
00:29:22.740 –> 00:29:24.735
– what audience at the at the conference kinda

825
00:29:24.735 –> 00:29:26.975
– resonated with or what the practitioners came up

826
00:29:26.975 –> 00:29:28.335
– or the questions you have. But, yeah, with

827
00:29:28.335 –> 00:29:30.575
– the remaining time together, give give us kind

828
00:29:30.575 –> 00:29:32.255
– of like a highlight reel of, you know…

829
00:29:32.255 –> 00:29:33.615
– I mean, you know how it is with

830
00:29:33.615 –> 00:29:35.934
– podcast. Everybody wants everyone’s the answers. Give me

831
00:29:35.934 –> 00:29:37.619
– the give me the stuff. So in in

832
00:29:37.619 –> 00:29:39.220
– the remaining time together, if you just wanted

833
00:29:39.220 –> 00:29:40.980
– to give, like, a a highlight reel of

834
00:29:40.980 –> 00:29:42.820
– some of the big things that you would

835
00:29:42.820 –> 00:29:43.320
– have

836
00:29:43.700 –> 00:29:46.660
– just parents, families consider within this dynamic, what

837
00:29:46.660 –> 00:29:48.180
– are what are some of your favorite things

838
00:29:48.180 –> 00:29:49.940
– to talk about that we haven’t spoke about

839
00:29:49.940 –> 00:29:52.934
– yet? Yeah. Yeah. So I would say that

840
00:29:52.934 –> 00:29:55.335
– when we think about the moving forward and

841
00:29:55.335 –> 00:29:57.174
– where the hope is, I always say this

842
00:29:57.174 –> 00:30:00.055
– in every talk is that as a adult

843
00:30:00.055 –> 00:30:00.555
– child

844
00:30:01.015 –> 00:30:04.375
– or just just a a child, right, we

845
00:30:04.375 –> 00:30:06.075
– all have the desire

846
00:30:07.390 –> 00:30:09.569
– to have relationship with our parents

847
00:30:10.349 –> 00:30:13.730
– if the parents are accountable and accessible, emotionally

848
00:30:13.789 –> 00:30:15.009
– accountable and accessible.

849
00:30:15.630 –> 00:30:17.630
– And so when we when we look at

850
00:30:17.630 –> 00:30:19.069
– the research on,

851
00:30:19.549 –> 00:30:21.569
– adoptive kids and foster kids,

852
00:30:21.924 –> 00:30:23.924
– no matter how much they’ve gone through, they’re

853
00:30:23.924 –> 00:30:26.805
– still drawn to the biological parent because that

854
00:30:26.805 –> 00:30:28.964
– is their parent. No matter what the parent

855
00:30:28.964 –> 00:30:29.464
– does,

856
00:30:29.765 –> 00:30:31.545
– we are driven to want

857
00:30:32.484 –> 00:30:33.464
– to have relationship

858
00:30:34.085 –> 00:30:35.065
– without… With

859
00:30:35.509 –> 00:30:36.169
– the parents.

860
00:30:36.950 –> 00:30:37.849
– And often,

861
00:30:39.029 –> 00:30:40.789
– what happens is I I always tell my

862
00:30:40.789 –> 00:30:43.029
– clients this. I tell them I tell them

863
00:30:43.029 –> 00:30:45.029
– this in couples therapy, and I tell my

864
00:30:45.029 –> 00:30:45.929
– parents this,

865
00:30:46.309 –> 00:30:46.809
– that

866
00:30:47.775 –> 00:30:49.474
– everything happens in a process.

867
00:30:49.775 –> 00:30:52.015
– Just because you’re not able to tell your

868
00:30:52.015 –> 00:30:53.154
– story right now

869
00:30:53.455 –> 00:30:55.234
– doesn’t mean you won’t ever

870
00:30:55.855 –> 00:30:57.394
– be able to tell your story.

871
00:30:57.695 –> 00:30:59.855
– And and the way the brain works is

872
00:30:59.855 –> 00:31:00.355
– is

873
00:31:00.750 –> 00:31:02.589
– if I’m on guard, like, I don’t know

874
00:31:02.589 –> 00:31:04.509
– if people can see the the video, but,

875
00:31:04.509 –> 00:31:06.509
– like, I’ve got my fist up. And if

876
00:31:06.509 –> 00:31:08.369
– I am defensive and angry,

877
00:31:08.829 –> 00:31:10.369
– I just need to be disarmed

878
00:31:11.230 –> 00:31:12.450
– with full accountability.

879
00:31:13.150 –> 00:31:15.744
– Like, I I was coaching a a parent

880
00:31:15.804 –> 00:31:16.865
– two hours ago

881
00:31:17.325 –> 00:31:19.424
– just just saying, okay.

882
00:31:20.045 –> 00:31:22.045
– She discovered something in the middle of the

883
00:31:22.045 –> 00:31:25.404
– night, and she ran to her son’s bedroom,

884
00:31:25.404 –> 00:31:27.744
– and she knocked on the door for help.

885
00:31:27.910 –> 00:31:30.869
– And she was totally triggered, a thinking brain

886
00:31:30.869 –> 00:31:33.049
– offline, reptilian brain on fire,

887
00:31:33.509 –> 00:31:35.670
– total response. And and I said, you’re gonna

888
00:31:35.670 –> 00:31:37.430
– have to take accountability for that. And she

889
00:31:37.430 –> 00:31:39.130
– said, but I didn’t mean to. I said,

890
00:31:39.269 –> 00:31:40.890
– the adult child doesn’t care.

891
00:31:41.275 –> 00:31:42.095
– I said…

892
00:31:42.634 –> 00:31:44.795
– And I always coach my clients this. When

893
00:31:44.795 –> 00:31:46.954
– you say I did that, I let all

894
00:31:46.954 –> 00:31:49.674
– my traumas belong to you and I take

895
00:31:49.674 –> 00:31:50.974
– ownership for that.

896
00:31:51.434 –> 00:31:55.509
– What happens is our brains naturally release and

897
00:31:55.509 –> 00:31:58.789
– become curious. Mhmm. So once they know that

898
00:31:58.789 –> 00:32:00.569
– they’re not walking into defensiveness

899
00:32:01.029 –> 00:32:03.849
– and are walking into a parent that’s emotionally

900
00:32:03.990 –> 00:32:04.490
– accessible,

901
00:32:05.269 –> 00:32:07.269
– they becomes this ebb and the flow of

902
00:32:07.269 –> 00:32:10.250
– a conversation where they become curious to know,

903
00:32:10.595 –> 00:32:13.875
– okay. Tell me what is this reptilian response

904
00:32:13.875 –> 00:32:15.875
– you’re talking about, mom. That doesn’t make sense

905
00:32:15.875 –> 00:32:18.035
– to me. So it’s not that it’s gonna

906
00:32:18.035 –> 00:32:20.195
– happen in the moment. It’s gonna happen in

907
00:32:20.195 –> 00:32:22.515
– a process when the brain is ready to

908
00:32:22.515 –> 00:32:23.255
– to listen.

909
00:32:23.869 –> 00:32:26.029
– So there’s always hope. It happens in a

910
00:32:26.029 –> 00:32:26.529
– process.

911
00:32:27.150 –> 00:32:28.769
– Children always wanna gravitate

912
00:32:29.150 –> 00:32:30.690
– to parents who are accountable.

913
00:32:32.190 –> 00:32:33.950
– And then what’s the other thing that I

914
00:32:33.950 –> 00:32:35.330
– always wanna tell my…

915
00:32:35.884 –> 00:32:37.485
– That was such a good question because I

916
00:32:37.485 –> 00:32:39.644
– felt like there was, Yeah. The… Well, I

917
00:32:39.644 –> 00:32:41.325
– wanna… While you’re thinking, I just wanted to

918
00:32:41.325 –> 00:32:42.845
– add too because I think what you said

919
00:32:42.845 –> 00:32:44.625
– earlier was so brilliant. Right? Like,

920
00:32:45.005 –> 00:32:46.625
– bite sizes. Hey.

921
00:32:46.924 –> 00:32:48.525
– Have you felt have you felt something going

922
00:32:48.525 –> 00:32:50.680
– on between your mom and I? What’s come

923
00:32:50.680 –> 00:32:51.960
– up for you with that? What have you

924
00:32:51.960 –> 00:32:54.200
– felt? And I love how you said that

925
00:32:54.200 –> 00:32:56.279
– because I think it honors the process. Right?

926
00:32:56.279 –> 00:32:58.359
– I do… I I so agree. It’s not

927
00:32:58.359 –> 00:33:00.960
– this, hey. Sit down, plop. Here’s this heavy

928
00:33:01.320 –> 00:33:03.799
– Right. Load of information. I think to your

929
00:33:03.799 –> 00:33:05.640
– point, oh my gosh. That’s such great advice.

930
00:33:05.640 –> 00:33:06.504
– Just Yeah.

931
00:33:06.944 –> 00:33:08.065
– I I wish I wish you had a

932
00:33:08.065 –> 00:33:09.744
– list of questions so that the parents could,

933
00:33:09.984 –> 00:33:11.744
– because I think we’re not as gifted as

934
00:33:11.744 –> 00:33:12.325
– you are.

935
00:33:12.625 –> 00:33:14.545
– Yeah. That’s so funny. That is so funny

936
00:33:14.545 –> 00:33:15.984
– because that was gonna be my next point

937
00:33:15.984 –> 00:33:18.065
– because I was gonna say that the other

938
00:33:18.065 –> 00:33:19.444
– thing that I really want

939
00:33:20.120 –> 00:33:22.539
– the the the parent to take

940
00:33:22.920 –> 00:33:24.600
– on is, like, they have to put on

941
00:33:24.600 –> 00:33:26.460
– the attitude of anthropologist,

942
00:33:26.920 –> 00:33:27.820
– like discoverer.

943
00:33:28.600 –> 00:33:31.559
– Like, your child child or adult child has

944
00:33:31.559 –> 00:33:33.674
– made a meaning of themselves and the world

945
00:33:33.674 –> 00:33:35.674
– and the world around them and how they

946
00:33:35.674 –> 00:33:36.174
– navigate.

947
00:33:36.714 –> 00:33:39.115
– And so what you’re trying to do is

948
00:33:39.115 –> 00:33:42.255
– how is my child trying to navigate

949
00:33:42.634 –> 00:33:44.794
– the story, and this is how they navigate

950
00:33:44.794 –> 00:33:45.294
– it.

951
00:33:45.595 –> 00:33:46.654
– If I say something,

952
00:33:46.954 –> 00:33:48.494
– if I agree with mom,

953
00:33:49.109 –> 00:33:51.690
– I lose dad. If I agree with

954
00:33:52.230 –> 00:33:54.869
– dad, then mom’s gonna get angry. So better

955
00:33:54.869 –> 00:33:57.670
– not say anything. Yeah. Right? I do have

956
00:33:57.670 –> 00:33:58.650
– a list of questions.

957
00:33:59.029 –> 00:34:02.309
– And people can email me at katie@daringventures.com,

958
00:34:02.309 –> 00:34:04.305
– and I’ll just send them that free resource

959
00:34:04.785 –> 00:34:06.625
– of how to speak to your kids, how

960
00:34:06.625 –> 00:34:08.704
– to ask the questions, what are you looking

961
00:34:08.704 –> 00:34:11.664
– for before you even think about disclosing. You

962
00:34:11.664 –> 00:34:13.525
– just wanna know how are they making

963
00:34:14.144 –> 00:34:14.644
– meaning.

964
00:34:15.105 –> 00:34:17.184
– Even before you think about doing this, she

965
00:34:17.184 –> 00:34:18.704
– has a resource where you can wrap your

966
00:34:18.704 –> 00:34:19.525
– head around

967
00:34:20.309 –> 00:34:22.230
– the experience of an adult child. Because I

968
00:34:22.230 –> 00:34:24.789
– do think, you know, if we think about

969
00:34:24.789 –> 00:34:27.110
– disclosure between a husband and wife, how are

970
00:34:27.110 –> 00:34:28.789
– we doing this? We’re talking about it in

971
00:34:28.789 –> 00:34:30.710
– couples therapy. We’re talking about… This is before

972
00:34:30.710 –> 00:34:33.430
– disclosure. Right? I have my therapist. I usually

973
00:34:33.430 –> 00:34:35.110
– am buying some sort of a worksheet or

974
00:34:35.110 –> 00:34:36.764
– a book. I’m going through this process. Right?

975
00:34:36.764 –> 00:34:38.924
– And then we disclose. And I do agree

976
00:34:38.924 –> 00:34:40.844
– with you. I think Yeah. This is not

977
00:34:40.844 –> 00:34:42.844
– something that you just you just sit them

978
00:34:42.844 –> 00:34:44.684
– down and plop on them. I do think

979
00:34:44.684 –> 00:34:46.364
– I do think thinking about this ahead of

980
00:34:46.364 –> 00:34:48.844
– time through their perspective. And you said that

981
00:34:48.844 –> 00:34:50.444
– at the very beginning of the episode, which

982
00:34:50.444 –> 00:34:52.260
– I thought was great. Right? Like, just… Let’s

983
00:34:52.260 –> 00:34:54.579
– let’s all try to just imagine what this

984
00:34:54.579 –> 00:34:55.239
– is like

985
00:34:55.780 –> 00:34:58.340
– through an adult child watching this happen. I

986
00:34:58.340 –> 00:35:00.179
– think that’s brilliant. I could just end on

987
00:35:00.179 –> 00:35:01.940
– the on the note with with this is

988
00:35:01.940 –> 00:35:02.440
– that

989
00:35:03.219 –> 00:35:03.719
– the

990
00:35:04.194 –> 00:35:05.974
– experience of disclosure

991
00:35:06.275 –> 00:35:07.174
– to a partner

992
00:35:08.114 –> 00:35:10.275
– is… It’s a double edged sword because one,

993
00:35:10.275 –> 00:35:11.174
– it’s extremely

994
00:35:11.635 –> 00:35:14.835
– validating and freeing and it’s… There’s so much

995
00:35:14.835 –> 00:35:17.635
– healing that happens when your your story is

996
00:35:17.635 –> 00:35:18.135
– restored.

997
00:35:19.199 –> 00:35:21.199
– And then, of course, it… It’s it’s earth

998
00:35:21.199 –> 00:35:24.019
– shattering. So there’s definitely a double edged sword.

999
00:35:24.480 –> 00:35:24.980
– But

1000
00:35:25.280 –> 00:35:26.900
– I often find that

1001
00:35:27.920 –> 00:35:29.139
– my couples think

1002
00:35:29.440 –> 00:35:31.679
– that because it was so helpful in their

1003
00:35:31.679 –> 00:35:34.635
– healing journey when their their families… Like, their

1004
00:35:34.795 –> 00:35:35.775
– story is restored,

1005
00:35:36.315 –> 00:35:38.735
– that that is what the adult child needs.

1006
00:35:39.114 –> 00:35:40.414
– And it’s really not.

1007
00:35:40.875 –> 00:35:44.175
– Right? Because we’re we’re not thinking about…

1008
00:35:45.114 –> 00:35:47.675
– We’re thinking about the details, but we really

1009
00:35:47.675 –> 00:35:50.119
– are thinking more about ourselves. Where was I

1010
00:35:50.119 –> 00:35:51.880
– and why didn’t you pick me? And, like,

1011
00:35:51.880 –> 00:35:54.059
– often, like, a comment, like,

1012
00:35:54.840 –> 00:35:56.760
– oh, that makes sense. My mom would always

1013
00:35:56.760 –> 00:35:59.180
– cry at at my my baseball games.

1014
00:35:59.719 –> 00:36:02.760
– Like, oh, okay. That’s why dad was never

1015
00:36:02.760 –> 00:36:05.035
– there on Sundays. That’s why dad went cycling

1016
00:36:05.035 –> 00:36:06.335
– and didn’t lose any weight.

1017
00:36:06.715 –> 00:36:08.635
– Right? It was like things like that.

1018
00:36:09.114 –> 00:36:11.434
– And so it’s it’s not the same. Right?

1019
00:36:11.434 –> 00:36:13.535
– Some kids wanna know and some kids don’t,

1020
00:36:13.755 –> 00:36:16.235
– but it doesn’t have the same… It has

1021
00:36:16.235 –> 00:36:17.375
– some validation

1022
00:36:18.200 –> 00:36:20.680
– and also wanna wanna caution. And this is

1023
00:36:20.680 –> 00:36:22.680
– a… It’s it’s a realistic caution, but it’s

1024
00:36:22.680 –> 00:36:25.099
– not a happy caution is that, unfortunately,

1025
00:36:25.559 –> 00:36:27.720
– partners have the hope that if we disclose

1026
00:36:27.720 –> 00:36:29.660
– to our kids, then then I

1027
00:36:30.119 –> 00:36:31.019
– gain credibility.

1028
00:36:31.824 –> 00:36:34.644
– And often the adult kids are still seeking

1029
00:36:35.025 –> 00:36:35.525
– accountability

1030
00:36:36.065 –> 00:36:39.184
– from the betrayed spouse Mhmm. To say, yes.

1031
00:36:39.184 –> 00:36:41.344
– You you were anxious, and, yes, you were

1032
00:36:41.344 –> 00:36:41.844
– hypervigilant,

1033
00:36:42.144 –> 00:36:44.965
– and we did absorb that. Mhmm. And so

1034
00:36:45.210 –> 00:36:46.889
– I think just be aware that the adult

1035
00:36:46.889 –> 00:36:49.150
– kid is gonna have different needs and expectations

1036
00:36:50.089 –> 00:36:51.469
– even when there is a disclosure

1037
00:36:52.089 –> 00:36:54.170
– delivered. Yeah. Yeah. I I I love that.

1038
00:36:54.170 –> 00:36:56.010
– Thank you so much. And before… I’m gonna

1039
00:36:56.010 –> 00:36:56.989
– have you retell

1040
00:36:57.289 –> 00:36:59.085
– them your email just for the listeners who

1041
00:36:59.085 –> 00:37:00.764
– want that. But before you do that, for

1042
00:37:00.764 –> 00:37:02.224
– those listening who have

1043
00:37:02.684 –> 00:37:03.664
– teenage children

1044
00:37:03.965 –> 00:37:05.644
– or younger that they’re trying to… Do you

1045
00:37:05.644 –> 00:37:07.005
– have a resource or do you wanna point

1046
00:37:07.005 –> 00:37:09.105
– them in a direction where they can? Because,

1047
00:37:09.565 –> 00:37:11.664
– that is a whole different type of disclosure

1048
00:37:11.724 –> 00:37:14.760
– for younger children. You know, I think if

1049
00:37:14.760 –> 00:37:16.619
– they go on to the AbsaTS website,

1050
00:37:17.559 –> 00:37:18.860
– there’s two people.

1051
00:37:19.320 –> 00:37:21.579
– The one is… I think her name’s

1052
00:37:21.960 –> 00:37:22.460
– Elia

1053
00:37:22.840 –> 00:37:25.719
– Markham. Markham. Yes. Yes. Yes. B s… And

1054
00:37:25.719 –> 00:37:28.335
– the… I think her name’s Jessica Edens. Yes.

1055
00:37:28.335 –> 00:37:29.695
– It is. Both of them. They did a

1056
00:37:29.695 –> 00:37:32.094
– talk at Absets about this. I think… I

1057
00:37:32.094 –> 00:37:33.215
– can’t remember I can’t remember if you were

1058
00:37:33.215 –> 00:37:34.414
– in the room or not. But Wasn’t that

1059
00:37:34.414 –> 00:37:37.155
– Absa? They… Yeah. They they spoke on disclosing

1060
00:37:37.375 –> 00:37:40.094
– this to, young children. And, yes, they both…

1061
00:37:40.094 –> 00:37:42.094
– They kinda dedicate their careers to that. So…

1062
00:37:42.094 –> 00:37:44.519
– Yes. Mhmm. Yeah. And then, also, if they

1063
00:37:44.519 –> 00:37:46.519
– do wanna email me, I have a watered

1064
00:37:46.519 –> 00:37:48.519
– down version, but I can promise you it’s

1065
00:37:48.519 –> 00:37:51.160
– not even gonna scrape the top for kids.

1066
00:37:51.160 –> 00:37:52.760
– Yeah. Sure. Sure. But… Yeah. Well… And one

1067
00:37:52.760 –> 00:37:54.119
– more time with your email for those who

1068
00:37:54.119 –> 00:37:55.880
– want the list of questions for their elder…

1069
00:37:55.880 –> 00:38:02.355
– Adult children. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. So it’s carley@daringventures.com.

1070
00:38:02.355 –> 00:38:05.335
– Yeah. Carley carley at, daring ventures dot com.

1071
00:38:05.394 –> 00:38:07.074
– This was so wonderful. Thank you for this.

1072
00:38:07.074 –> 00:38:08.835
– Such a a topic. You know, it’s it’s

1073
00:38:08.835 –> 00:38:10.355
– so funny with these… I mean, I think

1074
00:38:10.355 –> 00:38:12.514
– I think we assume because they’re adults and

1075
00:38:12.514 –> 00:38:13.574
– they’re out of the home

1076
00:38:14.090 –> 00:38:16.750
– that that part of the disclosure is easier,

1077
00:38:16.809 –> 00:38:19.449
– that the impact is is less because they’re…

1078
00:38:19.449 –> 00:38:21.469
– The the kids are not. And I think

1079
00:38:21.929 –> 00:38:23.949
– thinking that way is really naive because

1080
00:38:24.409 –> 00:38:26.329
– you’re their parents and to your… I love

1081
00:38:26.329 –> 00:38:28.590
– the comment you said we’re all adult children.

1082
00:38:29.744 –> 00:38:31.505
– Every adult listening to this podcast is an

1083
00:38:31.505 –> 00:38:32.644
– adult child of somebody.

1084
00:38:32.944 –> 00:38:34.724
– Yeah. To think that we’re not having

1085
00:38:35.025 –> 00:38:36.704
– an experience of some kind and that it

1086
00:38:36.704 –> 00:38:38.625
– could be somewhat traumatic or very traumatic. And

1087
00:38:38.625 –> 00:38:39.824
– the other thing I wanna note, just last

1088
00:38:39.824 –> 00:38:41.505
– thing for all the listeners, she did say

1089
00:38:41.505 –> 00:38:43.989
– at the beginning, remember, this this, you know,

1090
00:38:43.989 –> 00:38:45.450
– this is this is a single,

1091
00:38:45.829 –> 00:38:48.710
– infidelity and affair. This could be an addiction

1092
00:38:48.710 –> 00:38:51.110
– where there’s a bunch of behaviors here. It

1093
00:38:51.110 –> 00:38:52.869
– matters and doesn’t matter at the same time.

1094
00:38:52.869 –> 00:38:53.849
– Both are

1095
00:38:54.230 –> 00:38:56.550
– both are significant, and it would be naive

1096
00:38:56.550 –> 00:38:58.710
– to think that maybe this isn’t affecting your

1097
00:38:58.710 –> 00:39:00.730
– child in in some some way or… And

1098
00:39:00.730 –> 00:39:03.181
– and and, again, even if you’re not going

1099
00:39:03.181 –> 00:39:05.632
– to disclose or it’s not appropriate, because, again,

1100
00:39:05.632 –> 00:39:08.083
– there’s families we’re disclosing may not be appropriate.

1101
00:39:08.083 –> 00:39:10.534
– I do still think looking into this dynamic

1102
00:39:10.534 –> 00:39:12.800
– is healthy for you whether you’re going to

1103
00:39:12.800 –> 00:39:15.280
– disclose now or maybe a years from now,

1104
00:39:15.440 –> 00:39:16.800
– just to to wrap your head around. So

1105
00:39:16.800 –> 00:39:18.480
– thank you so much for for sharing this.

1106
00:39:18.480 –> 00:39:20.260
– Yeah. Yeah. Thank you for having me on.

1107
00:39:21.440 –> 00:39:23.679
– Thanks for listening to this episode. If you

1108
00:39:23.679 –> 00:39:25.425
– are a high achiever of the sex addiction

1109
00:39:25.425 –> 00:39:27.105
– and you’re looking for a recovery group full

1110
00:39:27.105 –> 00:39:30.224
– of like minded men, visit successfuladdict.com.

1111
00:39:30.224 –> 00:39:33.025
– We provide men with a recovery mastermind group

1112
00:39:33.025 –> 00:39:34.325
– using four day retreats,

1113
00:39:34.704 –> 00:39:37.505
– weekly group calls, and daily accountability check ins.

1114
00:39:37.505 –> 00:39:39.750
– If you wanna achieve long term sobriety and

1115
00:39:39.750 –> 00:39:41.590
– save your marriage, go to our website and

1116
00:39:41.590 –> 00:39:42.570
– fill out an application.

1117
00:39:42.869 –> 00:39:45.349
– If you enjoyed this episode, please pass it

1118
00:39:45.349 –> 00:39:46.949
– along to a friend in recovery who would

1119
00:39:46.949 –> 00:39:48.949
– benefit from listening. It is my mission to

1120
00:39:48.949 –> 00:39:50.630
– get this information out to as many high

1121
00:39:50.630 –> 00:39:52.949
– achievers as possible, and I can’t do it

1122
00:39:52.949 –> 00:39:53.929
– without your help.

114. Roland’s Addiction Story

Despite speaking about most of my behaviors over the years. I’ve never shared my sex addiction story on this Podcast before. In this episode, I walk listeners through my journey front to back. My childhood... Continue

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