Getting a lot of “fine,” “nothing,” and “I don’t know” when you try to talk with your teen?

Before you decide your teen just doesn’t want to talk to you anymore, it might be time to change the conversation.

So much of our everyday communication with teens is about school, schedules, responsibilities, friends, or something that needs to get done. And while those conversations are necessary, our kids need opportunities to simply talk with us—without an agenda, a problem to solve, or a lesson attached.

In this episode, I’m sharing 3 unexpected conversation starters that can help you change things up, learn something new about your child, and create more positive experiences of talking together. You’ll also see how these lighter conversations give you a great opportunity to practice the communication skills that help build connection when the deeper conversations come.

What You’ll Learn:

• Why your teen’s one-word answers may not mean they don’t want to talk to you at all
• How changing the kinds of questions you ask can open the door to a completely different kind of conversation
• What to do when your teen actually starts talking so you don’t accidentally shut the conversation back down

God already knows our kids completely—their thoughts, their hearts, and every detail of who He created them to be. And what a privilege that we get to keep discovering more about them as they grow. Sometimes building a stronger relationship with your teen starts with simply getting curious and listening to the answer.

Want 7 more questions to help get your teen talking?

🎁 Download my FREE 10 Conversation Starters to Get Your Teen Talking Without the Pressure: https://connectwithyourteens.com/teen-conversation-starters-page

I pray this episode blesses you and your family.

~Terri

MORE RESOURCES

✨ Website: Free resources and practical support to help you build connection and trust with your teen.

👉https://connectwithyourteens.com

✨ Connect With Your Teen Roadmap: A step-by-step, Christ-centered path to stronger communication, trust, and connection.

👉https://connectwithyourteens.com/roadmap

✨ Work With Me: Get personalized communication coaching for your specific relationship and situation.

👉http://ConnectWithYourTeens.com/communication-coaching

✨ Join the Facebook Group: Connect with other moms and get practical encouragement for parenting and communicating with teens.

👉Connect With Your Teens Facebook Group

RELATED EPISODES

16 — Feeling Disrespected When Talking to Your Teen? 3 Tips to Foster Mutual Respect

22 — Tired of Misunderstandings with Your Teen? 3 Keys to Get Them Talking (Instead of Walking Away)

You ask your teen to do one simple thing—and somehow you’re both frustrated, defensive, and wondering how it turned into another argument. Sometimes the conflict isn’t really about the messy room, the phone, or the schoolwork. So why do these little things keep turning into arguments—and what can you do differently when they do?

In this milestone 100th episode, I’m sharing a real conflict I had with my daughter and three communication shifts I wish I understood then.

You'll learn:

• What may actually be fueling those arguments that seem to happen over the smallest things
• What to do when the conversation has already gone sideways—and you wish you could start over
• How to address the real issue without turning it into another battle or sacrificing connection with your teen

When we anchor ourselves in Christ, release what we can’t control to God, and practice new communication skills, we can approach even hard conversations with more peace and confidence.

Ready to feel more peaceful and confident in your communication with your teen?

🎉 To celebrate Episode 100 and more than 10,000 downloads, I’m having an Episode 100 Flash Sale on the Connect With Your Teen Roadmap only for the next few days.

👉 Get the Episode 100 Flash Sale & Join the Roadmap

I pray this episode blesses you and your family.

~Terri

🤍Looking for a safe, faith-based community of moms who get it?

Come join us inside the How To Connect With Your Teens Facebook group—we’re waiting to welcome you.

👉Connect With Your Teens Facebook Group

💌Want weekly encouragement straight to your in box?

Become a Connect With Your Teens Insider for weekly parenting tips, encouragement, and support straight to your inbox Weekly Insider Newsletter

👉 https://buymeacoffee.com/connectwithyourteens

✨ Support the Podcast

If Connect With Your Teens has been helpful to you, you can now support the podcast through Buy Me a Coffee. Your support helps with the costs of producing the show and reaching more moms with practical help and hope for their families. Thank you for being part of this work!

👉 https://buymeacoffee.com/connectwithyourteens

✨ Website: connectwithyourteens.com for free resources, practical support, and more ways to build connection and trust with your teen.

Related Episodes

49 — The Power of God’s Acceptance to Turn the Heart of Your Teen

87 — 3 Ways to Stay Calm When Your Teen Pushes Your Buttons

89 — Your Teen Says, “You Don’t Understand.” Here’s What They’re Really Asking For

How do you know if the trust you’re trying to rebuild with your teen is actually changing anything? What might your relationship look like on the other side of these difficult years?

In Part 1, my husband Ed shared one of the hardest conversations he had with our daughter and the communication choices he made when he realized something had to change. But rebuilding trust didn’t happen in that one conversation.

In Part 2, we’re taking you into what happened afterward—and some of the moments when we began realizing our relationships with our kids really were changing. They started telling us things we weren’t sure they would tell us. They began asking what we thought. And we learned that building trust with your teen isn’t about getting them to agree with you or even take your advice. It’s about creating a relationship where they know they can come to you.

In this episode, you’ll hear:

• The signs that showed us trust and connection with our kids were beginning to grow
• What happened when our son came to us after making a decision that could have had serious consequences
• Why listening without immediately judging or correcting matters in teen communication
• How to stay connected when your teen’s opinions, beliefs, or choices are different from yours

As parents, we can’t control what our kids believe, choose, or ultimately do. But we can stay anchored in Christ, listen with humility, and trust that God is at work even when we can’t see it yet. Sometimes building a stronger relationship with your teen begins by releasing the outcome and choosing how you want to show up in the next conversation.

What could begin to change if your teen knew they could tell you the truth—even when you might not like what they have to say?

💛 Join me for my FREE Connect With Your Teen Workshop Tuesday, September 15, where I’ll walk you through a practical, Christ-anchored roadmap to communicate with confidence, restore connection, and build lasting trust:

👉 connectwithyourteens.com/workshop

I pray this episode blesses you and your family.

~Terri

💌Want weekly encouragement straight to your in box?

Become a Connect With Your Teens Insider for weekly parenting tips, encouragement, and support straight to your inbox Weekly Insider Newsletter

💛 See What Happened Years Later With Ed & Sharaya

You heard Ed share the story on the podcast. Now you can see Ed and Sharaya sitting together years later, talking honestly about their relationship, what changed, and what they learned along the way.

👉https://riseabovethesilence.com/ed--sharaya-interview-2019

✨ Support the Podcast

If Connect With Your Teens has been helpful to you, you can now support the podcast through Buy Me a Coffee. Your support helps with the costs of producing the show and reaching more moms with practical help and hope for their families. Thank you for being part of this work!

👉 https://buymeacoffee.com/connectwithyourteens

✨ Want to work 1:1 with me?

Book a 1-hour Communication Coaching Call. Together, we’ll identify what’s getting in the way of connection with your teen, uncover practical next steps, and create a clear plan so you can stop feeling stuck and start rebuilding trust and connection.

👉Learn More: ConnectWithYourTeens.com/communication-coaching

✨ Website: connectwithyourteens.com for free resources, practical support, and more ways to build connection and trust with your teen.

Related Episodes

17 — Struggling With Teen Lying? 3 Truths to Help You Build Trust Without Control

40 — 3 Questions That Build Connection When Faith Divides Your Family (Part 1)

79 — Parenting Teens: 5 Words That Build Trust and Connection Fast