INSIDE: Are you parenting a wayward child? Is your child – whether an adult or teen – making choices that break your heart? How can you love your child who consistently makes bad decisions? What does grace-based parenting look like when you watch your child struggle? Listen in to Episode 162 with Mary DeMuth.

What is a wayward child? How do we love that adult child well when they continually make unwise choices? As parents, we have dreams and plans for our children, and those can come crashing down. What do we do with the expectations we hold about how our kids will turn out when they blindside us with the choices they make?

Mom, there is hope. Do not give up on your child. Listen to this episode with Mary DeMuth. 

In today’s episode, you’ll receive practical strategies and anchoring truths as you parent a wayward child. Mary shares:

  • What to do when your children’s choices don’t match your expectations for them,
  • How to lower the volume on your inner critic when your child is making poor choices,
  • And how to find community when your child’s struggle feels like its isolating you.

Quotes about parenting a wayward child with love

  • “I define ‘wayward’ as your children making choices that don’t align with your hopes and expectations.” – Mary DeMuth
  • “God is always working. We have to give Him the space to work out what’s happening in our adult child’s life.” – Mary DeMuth
  • “God had wayward adult children, and He was perfect.” – Mary DeMuth
  • “To the mom who’s stressed, thinking, ‘Well, nothing’s moving,’ ask God to show you the little tiny breadcrumbs of His grace and what He’s doing in their lives.”  – Mary DeMuth
  • “Ask the Lord – the Hound of Heaven – to chase after your kid.”  – Mary DeMuth
  • “We can pray that the Lord would allow our children to see that the world’s way of doing things is emaciated to their soul.”  – Mary DeMuth

Quotes about parenting adult children

  • “In order to maintain a relationship with our adult kids, we need to own what we’ve done and to say we’re sorry.” – Mary DeMuth
  • “Jesus spoke the truth in love, but He wasn’t a nag about it.” – Mary DeMuth
  • “Adopt a holy curiosity toward your adult kids.”  – Mary DeMuth
  • “We need to be praying alongside one another for each other’s kids.”  – Mary DeMuth

Quotes about grace-based parenting for the mom of adult kids

  • “If you’re micromanaging your children, that is a recipe for rebellion.”  – Mary DeMuth
  • “Our identity is not ‘mom.’ Our identity is ‘child of God.’”  – Mary DeMuth
  • “Once you walk through the grief of unmet expectations, you’re better able to be the kind of available parent.”  – Mary DeMuth

Mentioned in the podcast

Here’s how to connect with Mary DeMuth

Here’s how to connect with Jill

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