What do you do when your child makes choices that break your heart? How do you keep loving, praying, and reaching out when your relationship feels strained or distant?
On this episode of A Woman’s Heart, Lisa Granger welcomes Erica Wiggenhorn to discuss her latest book, Loving Your Wayward Child. Drawing from Scripture, personal experience, and practical wisdom, Erica offers hope to mothers navigating difficult relationships with their children, including estrangement, struggles with faith, addiction, and other painful challenges.
Together, Lisa and Erica explore the challenge of moving from protecting and directing our children to trusting God as they make their own decisions. Erica explains how recognizing our default reactions—such as withdrawing, dwelling on regret, or trying to manipulate outcomes—can help us respond with greater wisdom and love.
You'll also hear practical ways to make meaningful bids for connection. Through it all, Erica reminds us we are not meant to walk this journey alone and we can trust God for wisdom, strength, and hope even when relationships are difficult.
If you're struggling with a relationship with your child, Loving Your Wayward Child offers a compassionate field guide for your heart and practical steps toward healing.
Three Key Takeaways
Release the guilt and shame. Your child's choices are not automatically a reflection of your parenting. Learn to distinguish your responsibility from what you cannot control.
Respond with love instead of reacting out of fear. Recognize patterns such as isolation, regret, manipulation, and withdrawal, and choose healthier ways to pursue connection.
Hold on to hope and trust God. You can love your child, seek wisdom, and leave room for God to work without having to control the outcome.
Erica Wiggenhorn is a national speaker with Aspire Women’s Events, an award-winning author with Moody Publishers, and a member of the Proverbs 31 Ministries writing team. Whether speaking at a women's conference, retreat, or around her own kitchen table, Erica longs to share biblical truth and see lives transformed. She equips readers to study God's Word with confidence and discover delight in Scripture. Erica lives in Phoenix with her husband, Jonathan, their two children, and their two furry family members. @ericawiggenhorn
Learn more about Loving Your Wayward Child and the Momentum Conference at getericasbook.com.
Listen to the previous conversation with Erica: Leaning Into God to Breakthrough Imposter Symdrome
