144. Parenting Without Enabling: How to Support Without Condoning Harmful Behavior

When your kid makes harmful or self-destructive choices, it's natural to want to step in, correct, and fix. But at some point, empathy might feel like enabling. How do we listen with compassion without sending the message that their behavior is okay?

In this episode, Seth and I unpack the fear that being supportive might mean condoning poor behavior. We look at the complexity of parenting teens and young adults who are making hard choices, like skipping school or selling drugs, and explore how to respond without judgment while still holding firm boundaries.

We talk about what it means to truly witness a struggling teen without rescuing, and how empathy, when done right, can be one of the most powerful tools for encouraging change.

This conversation is for parents who are walking the fine line between love and limits, and wondering how to stay connected without giving up their own values. If it’s ever felt impossible to be both supportive and firm, I hope this episode will help bring clarity.

In this episode on parenting without enabling, we explore:

• Why empathy doesn’t equal approval, and how to hold space without condoning;
• What supportive parenting really looks like during a crisis;
• How to stay grounded when your teen says they want help… and then backs out;
• The difference between rescuing and respecting your teen’s process;
• Practical ideas for setting boundaries without emotional reactivity;
• What to do when natural consequences are out of your control;
• Why ignoring a behavior can actually feel more like condoning it;
• And more on parenting without enabling!

Looking for support?
🗺️Need help setting healthy boundaries with your teen AND following through? My free guide will help you do so by creating your own Parent Home Plan!
🤍Influence lasting change in yourself and your struggling teen with my private coaching or parent group program specifically created for parents of struggling teens.

Have a question or need support? You can email me at [e-mail]

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And remember parents, the change begins with us.