Boundaries Without Guilt: Loving Your Adult Child Without Losing Yourself

Welcome back to “Warfare Parenting: Faith-driven strategies for struggling parents of teens and adult children”

Join Laine Lawson Craft as she continues with expert guest Kathy Cunningham for an eye-opening episode designed to help parents set healthy, faith-based boundaries with adult children—without guilt or shame. If you’re battling with prodigal children, facing manipulation, or just need spiritual guidance, this conversation is for you.

🌟 Resources & Links Mentioned

👤 Kathy Cunningham – Guest Bio

Kathy Cunningham is a seasoned family coach, author, and facilitator with decades of experience helping parents navigate complex parent-child relationships, especially those involving addiction, manipulation, and emotional struggles. Her spiritually grounded advice empowers parents to set boundaries with compassion and confidence. Kathy is also the facilitator of the nationwide PAL (Parents of Addicted Loved Ones) support group, offering tools, community, and guidance for parents facing crisis situations.

🔑 Key Talking Points

  • The spiritual and emotional necessity of boundaries for adult children
  • How to handle manipulation and emotional abuse with faith-based strength
  • The practical steps for boundary setting without punishment or guilt
  • The role of forgiveness and how to approach difficult conversations calmly
  • Warning signs that it’s time to set new boundaries (resentment, anxiety, burnout)
  • Building spiritual resilience and using biblical truth to restore family harmony
  • Handling outside criticism and finding supportive community
  • Short-term pain for long-term peace: enduring discomfort for lasting healing

⏱️ Detailed Timestamps

  • 00:00:01 – Introduction & spiritual mission of the podcast
  • 00:02:13 – Tackling emotional manipulation & abusive dynamics
  • 00:04:52 – The role of forgiveness, calm confrontation, and reset strategies
  • 00:08:00 – Recognizing normal conflict and emotional “red zones”
  • 00:09:57 – Responding to repeated boundary testing and preventing burnout
  • 00:11:42 – Emotional & spiritual warning signs for setting new boundaries
  • 00:12:51 – Examples: Overhelping & grandparent boundary-setting
  • 00:14:25 – Faith as an anchor for consistent boundaries (Galatians 6:2-5)
  • 00:16:20 – Handling criticism from outsiders and building a support system
  • 00:19:07 – Kathy’s resources for parents and support group information
  • 00:20:47 – Short-term pain for long-term peace: Kathy’s boundary wisdom
  • 00:22:49 – Conclusion: Boundaries as bridges to healing

🎬 Conclusion

This episode of Warfare Parenting Podcast with Laine Lawson Craft and Kathy Cunningham offers faith-based, actionable strategies for parents struggling to set boundaries with adult children. By staying steady, kind, and spiritually anchored, you can protect your family, restore hope, and break cycles of guilt and manipulation—empowering lasting peace for everyone involved.

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