The urge to fix their feelings might be shutting them down.

Added: 2026-05-15

[00:00:00]So, I have two teen boys and more often than I'd like to admit, they've come home and they've gone straight to their rooms without saying much. And I have to be honest, it takes everything in me not to chase after them asking what's wrong, what happened, talk to me. But, I've been working on it. And this time, I didn't. I just knocked on the door and I said, "You want to grab some food with me?" There wasn't any pressure, any emotional interrogation, it was just connection. And somewhere between the french fries and driving around, he started to open up on his own. And what that moment reminded me of was that connection doesn't always happen in these big, serious moments. A lot of the time, it happens when you're not saying anything. When you're just driving down the street and the kids don't feel cornered. So, today is day four of sharing one real parenting shift every day until this message reaches more households and this page reaches 2,500 followers. So, if you're trying to figure this out, too, give this a like and a follow. I'd appreciate it.