238 – When Your Adopted Child Explodes: What Took Me 18 Years to Understand

Have you ever stayed calm in the middle of a blow-up with your child… only to realize later you still might’ve missed what was really going on underneath? 💭 If that moment feels familiar, this episode is for you. Hi Neighbor, In today’s episode, we’re continuing the PAUSE Plan with the next step: Understand. I’m taking you back to a moment with my son Jonny, an argument the night before his 18th birthday 🎂 He was angry, pushing hard, and everything in me could’ve reacted the way I used to. But this time, something shifted. Because for the first time, I started to see it differently… This wasn’t just behavior. He was in pain. In this episode, we dig into why understanding what’s underneath your child’s behavior changes everything—and how it keeps you from responding to the wrong thing. You’ll learn how to: 🧠 Recognize when behavior is actually a sign of deeper pain 🛑 Stop taking your child’s reactions personally 🔍 Ask better questions in the heat of the moment 🤝 Move toward your child instead of pulling away 🔁 Shift from reacting to responding with intention Because here’s the truth… What feels like rejection is often hurt. 💔 What looks like defiance can be emotional bleeding. And when you start to see that, your response begins to change. This isn’t something you master overnight ⏳ It’s something you come back to—again and again. Anchors of Hope and Healing are on the way. Your Neighbor, Tim P.S. This is just one step in the PAUSE Plan. Don’t skip the earlier episodes. They’ll help this make a whole lot more sense, Episode 236 and Episode 237. If you haven’t joined our private community, consider this an invitation. It’s a safe space to share your struggles and triumphs with fellow adoptive parents who truly understand what you're going through.