Anthropologists talk about liminal phases or middle passages during the human lifespan.

The word comes from the Latin Lyman for Threshold.

These are periods where we are in between, shifting from a previous familiar identity to a new

one that is ambiguous and disorienting, until it's not.

Our new status, community, and set of responsibilities come to feel like a fit.

Today we'll meet musicians who have been touring first separately and then together since they were teenagers.

They've stepped off the road for now as they await the birth of their fifth child

and seek a definition of grown-up for themselves and an environment for growing up

that fits their unconventional values and need for self-expression

while best-serving their children's needs.

After our conversation, I'll introduce a word popular in the Tagalog-speaking Filipino community

that adds dimension and depth to the scientific concept of cutagression

and a poetic Welsh word for nostalgic longing for past phases of our lives.

First, a disclaimer. What you are about to listen to is not a professional counseling session.

Each episode is a one-time conversation and the advice I offer does not constitute psychological

treatment or services substitute for professional diagnosis, intervention, or behavioral health care.

In order to protect their privacy, our guests have been given pseudonyms and some personal details

have been changed. If you have concerns about your child's well-being or your own,

seek out guidance from a medical or mental health professional, good places to start,

your child's pediatrician, the counseling staff at your child's school,

and the American Psychological Association's Comprehensive Guide to Finding Resources in your state.

And now, onto the fun.

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