When Your Adult Child Criticizes You — Here's What to Do (and Stop Doing)

About this episode

Sally Harris discusses how to effectively respond to criticism from adult children without defensiveness.

When your adult child criticizes you, it can trigger an immediate urge to defend yourself, explain your intentions, or prove your side of the story. But what if that reaction is actually keeping you stuck? In this episode, I'm sharing exactly how to stop defending yourself when your adult child criticizes you—and what to do instead so you can finally feel calm, clear, and in control. If you've ever thought, "I know it's not about me… so why do I still react this way?" — you're not alone. Knowing something logically and responding differently in the moment are two completely different things. Inside this episode, you'll learn: Why defending yourself (JADE: justify, argue, defend, explain) makes conflict worse How to stop absorbing your adult child's criticism and emotional reactions A simple mindset shift to help you stay grounded in difficult conversations What to say instead when your adult child is upset or critical How to stop replaying conversations and protect your peace afterward This is especially for moms navigating: estranged adult children difficult or disrespectful adult children emotional triggers in parent-child relationships ongoing conflict or communication…

People in this episode

Host: Sally Harris

Topics covered

• adult child criticism
• parenting
• emotional triggers
• conflict resolution
• communication skills

Keywords

• adult children
• criticism
• defensiveness
• mindset shift
• parent-child relationships
• emotional reactions
• communication breakdown

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