Why won’t my teen talk to me?

Does this conversation sound familiar?

You: “How was your day?”
Your teen: “Fine.”
You: “What did you do?”
Your teen: “Nothing.”

It ends with your teen getting irritated and you feeling sad and disconnected from them.

If this is happening in your home, you are not alone.

Part of this dynamic is your teen just being a teen.

This is out of your control.

But you can change the questions you ask and notice when you get a different response.

Here are a few suggestions:

“What’s the most annoying thing about being a teen?”

“What’s the most boring thing about being a teen?”

“If you could change one thing about your life, what would it be?”

“What makes you want to spend time at home?”

When you want to feel close to them, change the questions you ask.

And then just listen.

Resist giving advice. (This is hard!)

Don’t try to change their mind. (This is hard, too!)

Tell them that makes sense.

Tell them there is nothing wrong with them. 

Tell them it’s normal to feel that way.

When you want to feel closer to your teen, think about what’s important to them.

And talk about that.

♥️ Jeanine

P.S. Looking for additional help? Click here to check out one of my free classes.

P.P.S. Want to feel closer immediately? Let’s work together!