When Ward Members Struggle with Adult Children | An Interview with Bonnie Lyman

Bonnie Lyman has a BA in Elementary Education, is the parent of five “grown up kids”, and a certified life coach. She has served as a ward Relief Society, Primary, and Young Women president, as a stake Young Women president and Primary counselor, a youth Sunday School, Primary, and Relief Society teacher, and as a mission medical coordinator and a music coordinator. Bonnie and her husband served in the Kenya Nairobi Mission as service missionaries before she launched her coaching business in 2019, and she now works with women struggling in their relationships with their adult children. Highlights 02:15 Introduction to Bonnie and her mission with her husband. 04:30 Bonnie talks about what she does and navigating life with adult children. 08:15 Bonnie talks about the biggest concerns that parents have with adult children. Most parents are concerned about their children leaving the Church and how to deal with it. 11:45 As parents to adult children remember that your only job is to love them. 12:15 One of the biggest things that parents of adult children struggle with is their children’s choices. They think that their children’s choices are a reflection of their parenting. 19:00 Remember that your kids have agency. As parents we get stuck knowing what our responsibility is as a parent and when to let our kids exercise their agency. 21:30 Sometimes we have to surrender to God and remember that He is the all knowing parent. We have to stay out of God’s business. 25:30 Bonnie gives her advice on how parents can deal with different behaviors from not moving out to drugs and alcohol. 31:50 We depend too much on our adult children to meet our needs. We are responsible for fulfilling our own needs. For example: Wanting equal time for holidays Wanting your children to call you everyday 34:35 How Bonnie would coach a parent wanting their children to fulfill their needs. Identify what they were feeling and the thought that was creating that feeling 40:45 What can parents do who have children who have completely severed the relationship? 46:50 What kind of a relationship do you have with yourself? The more you accept yourself, the more you can accept others for who they are. Links BonnieLyman.com Podcast: Loving on Purpose Instagram: @bonnielymancoaching TRANSCRIPT coming soonGet 14-day access to the Core Leader Library