In Done With The Crying: Help and Healing for Mothers of Estranged Adult Children, Sheri McGregor, M.A., helps kind and supportive parents who know they did their best to break free from emotional pain--and move forward in their own lives.
As a loving mother to whom the unthinkable happened, McGregor knows the horrible shock that wrings a parent dry, triggers denial, blame, anger, and shame. With empathy and understanding, as well as tools, the latest research, and insight from more than 9,000 parents of estranged adult children, McGregor helps parents of estranged adults plan ahead, prepare for emotional triggers, and prevail over setbacks and pain.
You can be happy again. In a calm yet authoritative voice, and with exercises derived from her work as a life coach and her own recovery, McGregor helps mothers who did their best to come to terms with their estranged adult child's choices, and regain their health and happiness.
To fathers of estranged adult children--this book can help you, too. "Ninety-three percent of the parents who answer my survey at RejectedParents.Net are mothers," says Sheri McGregor. "That's why the title is directed at them. But many of book's examples are from couples, and include the experiences of fathers. Some passages directly highlight men's reactions, including my husband's. The principles presented are relevant to fathers, and the strategies for coping can be used by anyone."
In this encouraging and comprehensive book, McGregor fully covers the phenomenon of estranged adult children from families who never expected a son or daughter to cut ties and walk away.
Nine in-depth chapters provide dozens of inspiring examples from among the thousands of parents of estranged adult children. Gain understanding and practical help from a mother who knows the pain of this devastating loss with all its uncertainty and heartache. Hope can remain, but you don't have to stay stalled, forever waiting. You can move past the disbelief and distress. Take charge. Reclaim yourself and your life--only maybe even better.
The latest research, helpful exercises, reflection prompts, and dozens of real-life examples, cover the following topics and more:
- Managing the shock of "The Early Daze."
- Answering the gnawing, "Why?" Reasons for the growing trend of estranged adult children from loving famlies.
- Getting needed support for this often misundersood problem.
- Managing the persistent and ambiguous nature of loss from estrangement.
- The emotional impact--it's far-reaching and insidious.
- Managing the Effects on the Family.
- What it means to reconcile.
- Life Goes On. Estate planning, end-of-life decisions, grandparents' rights, and other considerations.
- Moving forward in a meaningful life.
Sheri McGregor has a Master's Degree in Human Behavior and is a certified life coach. Her work for parents of estranged adults began at her blog, RejectedParents.Net. As a writer whose soothing words help others heal, she has become a powerful and compassionate voice for parents of estranged adult children.