New Roles, New Rules

Parenting doesn’t stop when our children become adults — it just changes, sometimes in ways no one prepares us for. In this episode we are joined by longtime friends Adi and Ema Ban, who share both personal experience and professional insight from their work in marriage and family ministry in Romania. Together, they explore the tender and often challenging transition from raising children to releasing them — navigating shifting roles, unspoken expectations, cultural nuances, and the deep desire to stay connected while giving space. We reflect together on what it means to parent with open hands and open hearts, and how to keep growing as a couple through every season of family life.

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Adrian (Adi) and Ema Ban have been married for 30 years and are parents to 3 sons: Andy (married to Ema), Eduard, and Thomas (engaged to Ellie). They are marriage counselors living in Oradea, Romania, with over 22 years of experience counseling and mentoring couples. Adi and Ema are Wheaton College alumni and authors of the book I Want to Get Married (Scriptum, 2011) along with David and Claudia Arp. Sufletul Familiei (The Soul of the Family) is their most recent initiative. The podcast, which they co-host, is meant to encourage and mentor families.

Adi and Ema Ban celebrating their sons’ Wheaton College graduations May 2025

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Produced by Zach Van Dyke