171. Understanding Ambivalence

Why did your estranged adult child tell someone you were toxic, yet send a nice card for your birthday?
Why do they keeping saying they need space, yet respond to everything you send with a heart emoji?
Or,
Why don’t they ever respond, when they said it was okay for you to contact them?
Questions like those leave unwillingly estranged parents feeling confused, hurt and frustrated. Why can’t estranged adult children just say what they mean?
According to Tina, they're not messing with you; they might simply be ambivalent.
In this clarifying episode, Tina explains, with examples, what ambivalence is and what causes it. Stay tuned till the end of the episode, where she offers a word of advice on how to respond to your estranged adult child’s ambivalence.
After listening, you might feel a little less confused and a little bit better about any contradictory words or behavior from an estranged adult child.
For ideas on how to repair troubled relationships with adult children, read Tina's book, Reconnecting With Your Estranged Adult Child.
Reconnection Club members can discuss this and every episode in the General Discussion forum inside the Reconnection Club.
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EPISODE RESOURCES:
RC Podcast Episode 139: Emotions of Estrangement (Part 1) RC Podcast Episode 140: Emotions of Estrangement (Part 2) RC Podcast Episode 165: Paradoxes of Estrangement (Part 1) RC Podcast Episode 166: Paradoxes of Estrangement (Part 2)