Some estranged adult children – especially more communicative ones – sooner or later approach parents with accusations of past behavior that was hurtful.

A few typical examples are gaslighting, criticizing, gossiping, neglecting, and not-liking chosen partners or spouses.

Sometimes parents recognize an accusation as being at least partially true.

However, sometimes they’re knocked sideways. They can’t believe what their adult child is saying about them. The accusation seems to have no basis in reality.

Parents who are working to repair a relationship with an adult child know that validation is important. But how can you validate something that seems patently false?

If an accusation is serious enough to get you into legal trouble, this episode is not for you. Please seek legal counsel instead.

But if you’ve been accused of garden-variety poor behavior and you have no idea where the accusation is coming from, listen to this episode (use the player below) for Tina’s thoughts on how to offer a response that can heal and repair a damaged bond.

For many more practical tips on how to repair an estranged relationship with your adult child(ren) and yourself, see Tina’s book, Reconnecting With Your Estranged Adult Child.

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