Hopestream: Parenting Kids Through Addiction & Mental Health
Hopestream: Parenting Kids Through Addiction & Mental Health
Your Child's Struggle Isn't Yours to Fix, with Kristina Kuzmič, Author of "I Can Fix This"
Loading
/

Your Child’s Struggle Isn’t Yours to Fix, with Kristina Kuzmič, Author of “I Can Fix This”

ABOUT THE EPISODE:

Kristina Kuzmič had harbored some denial about her oldest son's depression, anxiety and substance use. "Lots of kids have problems. Maybe everything will work itself out," she thought. That denial ended abruptly the night she had to call the police.

Neighbors she hadn't even met yet stared from their driveways as her son was pushed into a police car, swearing loudly at her. Her three-word response to the shame and guilt she felt that night may just help change the way you view the world.

Kristina went on to write the book "I Can Fix This: And Other Lies I've Told Myself While Parenting My Struggling Child". Her son, now in recovery, encouraged her to write every gritty detail of the family's struggles -- and wrote the final chapter himself.

In this interview, Kristina brings the charm and humor that won Oprah's reality TV show to crucial issues facing parents with kids who are struggling. We discuss the power of shared experience in support groups, why she danced the night away as her son was in the psych ward, why the "good kids" in families often suffer in silence, and how parents can connect to them despite their sibling's struggles.  And so much more!

EPISODE RESOURCES:

This podcast is part of a nonprofit called Hopestream Community
Learn about The Stream, our private online community for moms
Find us on Instagram here
Watch the podcast on YouTube here
Download a free e-book, Worried Sick: A Compassionate Guide For Parents When Your Teen or Young Adult Child Misuses Drugs and Alcohol

Hopestream Community is a registered 501(c)3 nonprofit organization and an Amazon Associate. We may make a small commission if you purchase from our links.

More From Current Show

ABOUT THE EPISODE: The morning of our move, the pods were in the driveway, my dad had shown...
Listen Now
ABOUT THE EPISODE: If you’re parenting a young person struggling with substance and someone tells you that you...
Listen Now
ABOUT THE EPISODE: You might already know what needs to change - or at least that something definitely...
Listen Now
ABOUT THE EPISODE: You‘ve probably watched your child make a decision so obviously terrible you could not understand...
Listen Now
ABOUT THE EPISODE: This week's episode is a Summer Replay originally aired in 2023.  You have rules. You...
Listen Now
ABOUT THE EPISODE: This week's episode is a Summer Replay from 2025. There is a version of August...
Listen Now

Related Episodes

In this episode, Sara Loftin, Clinical Therapist at Children’s Health, explains what bullying is and is not, signs...
Listen Now
Tina Walsh spent decades being the person everyone else counted on. But in her forties, she found herself...
Listen Now
Why do we sometimes push away the people we most want to be close to? Psychiatrist Dr. Laura...
Listen Now
After the loss of her husband, Cynthia Blanc Preiss MacLean (@therealmentorcynthia) spent years hiding the truth. She joins...
Listen Now
What if the biggest problem in your life isn't what's wrong with you—but what's happening to you? Burnout....
Listen Now
Episode Highlights With Christine Over-functioning and why capable, efficient people end up doing everything, but how to break...
Listen Now
In this episode, Dr. Michaela Thordarsen from Rady Children's Health explains how young children experience intense emotions. Learn...
Listen Now