Parenting Adult Children with Brandon & Susan Thomas

Parenting Adult Children with Brandon & Susan Thomas

November 2, 2026 · 48 min

Dave and Ashley sit down with Brandon and Susan Thomas, pastors of Keystone Church in Keller, Texas, and hosts of the Overflow podcast, to talk about the season of loving your adult children. Brandon and Susan open up about the unique joys and challenges of launching kids into adulthood, why so many couples drift apart (or divorce) once the kids leave, and the troubling rise of “cut-off culture” and family estrangement, now affecting as many as 1 in 4 adults. They share hard-won wisdom on honoring difficult family members without becoming a doormat, the difference between honor and respect, and choosing to be a “balm, not a bomb” in your family. It’s a rich, challenging conversation for any parent, whether your kids are grown or still at home.

Listener question: I have a question about validating emotions. If my spouse feels a certain way about a situation, but that emotion doesn’t seem to fit the moment, should I still validate that feeling? In other words, is validating their emotions the same as validating their perspective? Am I just being a supportive spouse, or am I potentially enabling incorrect behavior?

Become a partner with XO Marriage today at xomarriage.com/give

Learn more about Keystone Church: https://keystonechurch.com

Listen to the Overflow Podcast with Brandon & Susan Thomas: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-overflow/id1842221149

Explore XO Marriage’s free digital courses: https://xomarriage.com

__________

Submit your questions to Dave & Ashley: http://nakedmarriagepodcast.com

Download our FREE 31 Day Marriage Devotional: https://bit.ly/3ZxsLZd

We want your marriage to thrive! Learn more at http://xomarriage.com

Dave and Ashley Willis spent thirteen years in full-time church ministry before devoting their work entirely toward the global mission of building stronger, Christ-centered marriages. Their marriage-related books, blogs, podcast, speaking events and media resources have reached millions of couples around the world making Dave and Ashley one of the most recognized and trusted couples in marriage ministry.

Dave and Ashley partnered with XO Marriage in 2018. XO Marriage is the nation's largest marriage-focused ministry.

The Willis family includes four sons and a rescue dog named "Chi Chi." When Dave and Ashley aren't writing and speaking, they love hanging out with their family, watching movies and going on long walks which is also where they develop many of their marriage ministry content ideas.

Learn more about Dave & Ashley at daveandashley.com

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices