Kristina & Herb Heagh-Avritt:
Broken Ties, New Beginnings
Kristina and Herb’s journey took a painful turn when their son changed his last name and distanced himself from them. They share how this experience led to their commitment to helping other families navigate similar challenges.
Bio
Kristina and Herbert have been together for an incredible 33 years. From the moment they met in college, their love was undeniable.
Kristina followed her passion into teaching for 27 years while Herbert followed his into business and entrepreneurship. Drawing from their knowledge and expertise in diverse fields, they have combined their life experience to create Vibrant Family Education and the Bringing Education Home podcast.
They’re committed to helping families strengthen relationships by reimagining the education of their children and giving parents the tools necessary for creating Happy, Healthy and Successful children for better communities and a better world.
Topics
- The importance of communication in maintaining family relationships
- Navigating parent-child relationships through major life transitions
- Dealing with estrangement and rebuilding family trust
- The impact of values and upbringing on long-term family dynamics
- How to foster open communication from childhood to adulthood
- Managing differences in family values with new partners
- The role of family identity and legacy in personal growth
- Coping with grief and loss when family ties break
- Balancing respect and boundaries in family relationships
- Lessons from homeschooling and fostering strong family values
Guiding Questions
- What was your initial reaction when your son decided to change his name?
- How did the name change impact your sense of family identity?
- Looking back, what do you think were the early warning signs of estrangement?
- What role did communication—or the lack of it—play in your experience?
- How did you and your spouse support each other through this difficult time?
- What advice would you give to parents facing similar challenges?
- How has this experience influenced your work with families today?
- What strategies have you learned to foster healthy communication with children?
- How did you balance respecting your son’s decisions with maintaining your values?
- What role do family values play in today’s society, and how can parents reinforce them?