~125~WTF “The Moment I Realized My Adult Daughter Will Always Be Okay”

#ParentingTeens, #RescueDogs, #MorningRoutine, #CreativeExpression, #VeganLifestyle

In this un‑polished, heart‑on‑sleeve episode, Cheryl steps inside her daughter’s city apartment and discovers the quiet, everyday moments that prove our teens are thriving—even when we’re not watching the big milestones.

From the soft snuggle of two rescue pups, to a carefully‑cultivated plant shelf, a vinyl stack, and an heirloom shirt tucked in a closet, Cheryl shows us how love shows up in the ordinary—the early‑morning coffee rituals, the responsible care of pets, and the personal treasures our grown‑up kids curate for themselves.

If you’re a parent of a teenager (or a young adult) who feels like you’re “always on standby” for the next graduation or birthday, this episode is a reminder that the real work of parenting lives in the small, daily details—and that those details are a massive sign of success, resilience, and unconditional love.

Listen now for a tear‑filled, gratitude‑charged story that will shift how you see your own teen’s world and give you a fresh, empowering perspective on the parent‑child relationship in adulthood.

WTF-Gabbi thru my eyes.mp4
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Speaker 1
00:03 - 00:17
Welcome to another episode of Parenting Teens Advice Redefined. This is the WTF series. Welcome to Friday or what you choose. It depends on how your week has gone.

Speaker 1
00:17 - 00:45
And let's be real. WTF is probably something we whisper on a daily level when we are Parenting our teens, whether it's under our breath or in our heads, we know what the WTF actually means. So let me give this to you straight. This podcast is not polished, is not edited to perfection, and it's real, it's raw, it's uncut conversations from me to you.

Speaker 1
00:45 - 01:08
I promise you I will F it up. I'll laugh at myself, stumble on the word, or forget everything I was going to say, but that's the whole point. You get the real me, not some staged version of me, the real authentic me, because that's the only me I know how to be. So whether you are listening on your favorite podcast app or you're watching me on YouTube, thank you.

Speaker 1
01:08 - 01:32
Like seriously, thank you. of all the things you could be doing, all the noise you could be consuming. You have chosen to spend a few minutes with me, and I don't take it lightly. We live in a world that is just bombarding us with bad news and negativity and overwhelm every time we scroll or turn on the TV.

Speaker 1
01:33 - 02:00
And I thought, what if instead of just more noise, I share a little story, a story that gives you a peek into my world as a parent of someone who used to be a teen, a couple of them actually, I want to bring you into a moment today that I had with my daughter, but about my daughter. And here's the thing. I wasn't just her mom in that moment.

Speaker 1
02:00 - 02:15
I was like a witness. I was the student. I was given the gift of looking into her world through a very different lens than the one I always had. And it hit me in a way that I never actually expected.

Speaker 1
02:15 - 02:52
So that's where we are heading today. real life, real family, and the kind of stuff that makes you pause and say, huh, maybe this is what it's actually all about. Something stuck up on me in the most unexpected way and it had me in tears of gratitude and tears come very easily to me the commercial or you know watching those army military guys come home on Facebook that'll do it but today was tears of gratitude. I've always said I'm so blessed.

Speaker 1
02:52 - 03:05
I'm beyond blessed to be really close to my kids. And when I say kids, I don't mean the little ones anymore. I mean my grown ass adult kids. And I say that with all the love and pride.

Speaker 1
03:06 - 03:25
My daughter and I, and my son and I, We are not just family, I feel like we are really true friends. And we can tell each other almost anything. And honestly, I think that we do. And that closeness has always been an anchor in my life.

Speaker 1
03:26 - 03:47
And sometimes, like this time, it really hit me in a new way. Not through like a milestone or a dramatic moment, but just in the quiet. Last weekend, I was in my daughter's apartment. I was babysitting my fur grandbabies while she was away for the weekend.

Speaker 1
03:47 - 04:09
And if you've ever had a dog curl up against you, you know the feeling I'm talking about. Multiply it by two, and I've got both of them snuggled in, one on each side, their little bodies all pressed into me, all safe, all love. And in that moment, I actually thought, oh my God, could I love these dogs any more than I do right now? No, I certainly could not.

Speaker 1
04:10 - 04:33
But that's when I realized sometimes life's deepest joys come disguised as ordinary moments. And you can sometimes get in the throes of some major challenges Lord knows I'm going through some major challenges right now. And it's in these moments where you go, you know what? None of that matters.

Speaker 1
04:34 - 04:52
This matters. And I think sometimes as parents, we wait for like the big stuff. We wait for the graduations or the birthdays, the achievements to tell us, okay, our kids are okay. But the truth, the proof is right here.

Speaker 1
04:52 - 05:14
In the everyday, the ordinary tells the story. The way they care for their pets, the way they brew their coffee, the way they set up their homes, the friends that they care for and support and love. It's all in those details. Now, my daughter is on her own, has been for a long time in the big city.

Speaker 1
05:14 - 05:32
She has two rescue pups. She has a job and she is chasing her dream of getting her Bachelor of Fine Arts. She's in the midst of it all. And honestly, I always admire her, but after looking after the dogs for a weekend, I admire her most in the mornings right now.

Speaker 1
05:33 - 05:46
See, my mornings at this stage of life are very predictable. My coffee is ready when I wake up. I got my chair, my meditation, my journal, my reading. That's my jam in my morning.

Speaker 1
05:47 - 06:07
But hers, hers begins with grinding the beans, making a pour over, walking the pups, dishing out breakfast, dishing out meds. And this is all before her day has even started. I'm thinking, wow, this is strength. This is resilience.

Speaker 1
06:07 - 06:37
This is unconditional love in action. When our kids become adults, the love that we try to instill in them shows up in all these new ways. And it doesn't always look like a hug or an I love you. Sometimes it looks like getting up early, walking the dogs in the dark and the snow, showing up for responsibilities no one else sees.

Speaker 1
06:38 - 06:46
That's love too. And that's being a grownup. Now, I know my daughter. I know her values.

Speaker 1
06:47 - 07:15
I know her veganism, her fight for social justice, her favorite foods, her quirks, her friendships, and even how she slept the night before. But that morning, after I'd checked off that whole list of responsibilities, I sat down with my journal and my coffee, and then I looked up. Like, I really looked up. And I saw her.

Speaker 1
07:17 - 07:33
Her apartment isn't just a space. It is her whole heart and soul laid out right before me. The thriving plants, green, alive, cared for with love. Does not take that from me.

Speaker 1
07:33 - 07:54
I cannot grow a silk plant. Her bookshelves were lined with stories and ideas, and many of them we both share a love for. Vinyl records are stacked with care and a turntable right within her reach. A guitar, a keyboard, pieces of her art all over the place.

Speaker 1
07:54 - 08:06
Finished, not finished. Creativity was everywhere. Evidence of her talent and her love of art. And then there were the treasures.

Speaker 1
08:06 - 08:51
There's a faded photo I took for her 20 years ago, still hanging by her bed, a grandfather clock from Nona, books on birds that my father would have loved, the skydiving certificate proof of checking off a bucket list with her and her dad, an antique candlestick phone, and a closet filled with her grandpa's shirts. Everywhere I look, I saw evidence of who she is and evidence of what she holds dear. And yeah, I might've teared up again, but not out of sadness, but because of this overwhelming love, gratitude, and pride that just washed over me.

Speaker 1
08:51 - 09:39
Parents, sometimes we don't realize the impact we've had until we step into our kid's world, listening with our eyes and not advising, not correcting, not tidying up, just observing, just noticing. who they've become, what they've chosen to keep, what they see as valuable, it's all there waiting for us to see. And in that moment, I just knew this girl with all of this heart and all of this soul will always be okay. You know, we spend so many years poring over our kids.

Speaker 1
09:39 - 09:57
We make sure they're fed and they're safe and they're loved and they're guided. And then one day we step back and we see, we see them for who they've become on their own. And it's really an incredible thing. It's like this whisper, we did it.

Speaker 1
09:58 - 10:26
Her dad and I, like we had a hand in this and it wasn't perfect and it was not without many mistakes, but we can say we had a hand in this. And in that moment in her apartment, that was the whisper. That was my confirmation. So my next job is to kick my son and his beautiful wife out of their apartment so I can do this again.

Speaker 1
10:26 - 10:38
I'm just kidding, but not really. But honestly, what a joy. I'm going to leave you with the challenge to look for those moments. Don't just glance.

Speaker 1
10:39 - 11:03
Really look. Take it all in, because these glimpses into who our kids are, into what they've created on their own, is sacred. It reminds us that love isn't just in the milestones. It's in the music stacked in the corner, the shirt they kept from their grandpa, the way they love and care for their pets.

Speaker 1
11:04 - 11:23
It's in all that they hold close to them. And when you see it, when you really see it, you know deep down that they're going to be okay. And then so are you. All right, my friends, that is where I'll leave you today.

Speaker 1
11:23 - 11:52
Just a small slice of a moment that shifted how I see my daughter and honestly, how I see myself as a mom. If something in today's conversation made you think, made you feel a little less alone, or even gave you a different perspective on your own family, can I ask a favor? Hit subscribe, share the episode, maybe even download it so you can come back to it later. Those little actions might not seem like much, but they actually mean the world to me.

Speaker 1
11:53 - 12:19
They help the podcast grow, and more importantly, they get these conversations out to parents who really need them. Parents who might feel isolated, who just need to know that they are not alone in this messy, beautiful, chaotic teen parenting journey. And hey, if you're sitting there thinking I need more than a podcast, I got you. Head over to the show notes.

Speaker 1
12:19 - 12:43
You'll find links to my blog, past episodes, my website, CherylPankhurst.com and ways to connect with me directly. Whether you're curious about working with me as your parent advocate or you simply need a safe voice of support while you navigate school systems, teen struggles and everything in between. I'm here. You don't have to carry this alone.

Speaker 1
12:44 - 13:07
So until next time, thank you for spending time with me. Thank you for showing up for yourself, for your family, and for being willing to lean into these messy, uncut conversations, because this is how we remind each other we are not in this alone. See you next Friday. I'm Cheryl Pankhurst signing off.

Speaker 1
13:07 - 13:20
Have a great day. Okay.