Getting to the serious conversations takes time and investment in garbage talk, according to Joanna Schroeder co-author of the new book Talk to Your Boys.
As parents, it's so tempting to use every opportunity to convey our thoughts and wisdom. We worry that we might not get another chance, because they seem to spend so much time in their own world.
But Joanna, who has boys of her own, says it's the small investments in having fun and messing around that eventually pay off in trust.
I think this is excellent advice, and works for girls too. Making every thing a teaching moment takes all of the joy out of our relationship, and makes it even more likely our teens will scurry to their room, rather than talk to us and ask for advice.
If we take an interest in what they find interesting then they're going to take an interest in us too.
The book is great, I highly recommend it, but don't buy any of the workbooks because they've been generated by AI, not the real authors.
If you'd like to hear the full interview make sure you are following me, or the podcast Parenting Teenagers Unangled. You can find more on www.teenagersuntangled.com or my extended writing on teenagersuntangled.substack.com
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