01/09/2026
🕊️ "They’re learning how to leave, and I’m learning how to let them." 🕊️
Is your teen distant? Are they irritable with you but perfectly kind to their friends? If you feel like you’re walking on eggshells or being pushed away, you aren't imagining it—and you aren't alone.
I recently learned about a concept called "sh****ng the nest." While the name sounds a bit messy, it’s a perfect scientific explanation for what’s happening in your home. 🧬
🐦What is "Sh****ng" or "soiling" the Nest?
As teens prepare to transition into adulthood, they head into a phase of seeking independence and social status, all the while, the thought of leaving the only home they’ve ever known can be terrifying. So they subconsciously create emotional distance instead.
They might:
•Pick fights over small things.
•Test every boundary you set.
•Pour all their energy into friends while leaving the "leftover" irritability for you.
😤How to survive the "Push-Pull" phase:
It’s a season of white-knuckling. It requires picking your battles and, sometimes, "putting a pin in it" for a few years. If you can't solve it now, wait and see if it's still a problem in their 20s. Usually, it isn't!
Remember these 5 things:
✅Dont take it personally: Their irritability is a reaction to the massive change they are facing.
✅Set Limits: Set the limits that you need to within your household and try to be realistic about them.
✅Give space, not silence: You can provide the room they need to grow without withdrawing your love.
✅Pause before reacting: You can’t control their mood swings, but you can control how you show up.
✅Put a Pin in It: Remember the concept of sh****ng the nest and that brains are not fully developed until the mid-20s so that impulsive, mean behavior isn't solidified yet.
This season is messy, uncomfortable, and rarely neat. But if we can shift our mindset from "They can't wait to get away from me" to "They are learning how to leave, and I am learning how to let them," it changes everything. ❤️
Hang in there, parents. You’re doing a good job, even on the days it doesn't feel like it.
🌿Feeling rushed? On auto-pilot in your day to day?
Trying to find more meaning in life? Check out my 30-day guided journal with pre-written prompts aimed at enhancing your daily experiences, finding your awe, and reconnecting with your core-self. Check out the digital download below:
🔗https://www.etsy.com/listing/4432140032/the-awe-inspired-life-30-day-guided?ref=shop_home_active_4&dd=1&logging_key=882bd8eb66bc43affc10c6d83b4d5f5730d067d9%3A4432140032
