How to Protect Your Kids From Your Marriage Crisis

This week on the Grounded Union Podcast, Brandon and Caitlyn speak on one of the most requested topics from their community: what do we tell the kids? They challenge every excuse for waiting to heal, issue a clear warning against the enmeshment trap (your kids are not your counselor or your comfort), and give practical guidance on age-appropriate conversations from toddlers to adult children. The episode closes with the family rhythms Brandon and Caitlyn still live by today: no screens, outside as much as possible, nightly family walks, and gathering around a fire — because protecting your kids from a marriage crisis starts with bringing your whole family back to life.

Our 2026 Grounded Union 2-Day Workshop:
📍San Diego, CA — In-person & virtual
📅 August 14th & 15th, 2026
Workshop for Couples: Tap here to grab your ticket 🎟️

Looking for immediate support in your marriage?
The Marriage Crisis Roadmap: Download the free guide here!
Grounded Union Couples App: Tap here to apply

Save Your Marriage Webinar: Tap here to get lifetime access

Follow us on social: @brandontalksmarriage, @caitlyn_doerksen & @groundedunion
YouTube Show available here

What we discussed:

• 00:00:00 – Welcome & Intro: Brandon introduces the episode and opens with a key principle — you don't earn back your family's respect by asking for it; you earn it by changing.
• 00:02:26 – No Convenient Time to Heal: Caitlyn shares why you can’t wait for the perfect season and how healing happens in the middle of real life.
• 00:05:56 – Your Kids Are Not the Problem: Brandon's story of scrolling social media from 10 PM to midnight while waiting for the baby to wake — and why blaming your circumstances keeps you stuck.
• 00:07:47 – The Enmeshment Warning: Brandon explains why turning to your children for emotional comfort or stability during a marriage crisis, even subconsciously, creates a damaging dynamic that repeats across generations.
• 00:08:50 – Tell Everyone But Your Spouse: The story of a man who confessed graphic details to his pastor and why the primary person who deserves your full honesty is your spouse.
• 00:16:00 – Age-Appropriate Conversations: How to talk to kids about the crisis without oversharing graphic details.
• 00:25:06 – Bath Talk Time: Caitlyn shares how her own parents modeled protecting their kids through hard seasons without ever making the children carry it.
• 00:27:55 – Unplug to Plug In: Why plugging into screens for relief will disappoint you every time, and what to plug into instead.
• 00:30:15 – Family Rhythms: Brandon and Caitlyn share the rhythms they've lived by for over a decade — daily family walks in any weather, no TV for 11 years, gathering around a fire or candles, and how nature brings the whole family back to life.
• 00:40:45 – Screens Are Not Babysitters: Why handing kids a tablet is medicating them, what happens to their dopamine within three to four weeks of removal, and the family rhythms that replace it.
• 00:43:00 – What Your Kids Will Remember: How your transformation and new rhythms create lasting stability and trust.
• 00:47:18 – Resources & Final Encouragement: Details on the August San Diego workshop, the Grounded Union couples app, and Brandon’s upcoming book — 7 Steps to Save Your Marriage.