About this episode

This episode provides parents with effective scripts to communicate with their teens who often ignore requests.

You ask your teenager to put down the phone, start their homework, walk the dog, or get ready to leave. They do not respond. You ask again. And again. Before long, you are yelling, your teen is defensive, and a basic request has become a full argument. When teenagers appear to ignore their parents, the answer is not usually a longer explanation or a louder voice. Your teen may not have shifted their attention toward you. They may be struggling to transition away from what they are doing. They may disagree with the request—or they may have learned that they do not need to respond until you have asked several times. In this episode, Tess explains how parents can interrupt this pattern without becoming passive or controlling. You will learn: Why your teen may not respond the first time How repeated reminders accidentally become part of the problem How to get your teenager’s attention before giving a direction Five practical scripts for common parent-teen conflicts How to validate feelings without changing the boundary What calm follow-through looks like When withdrawal or unresponsiveness may indicate a larger concern The five scripts “Pause for a second. I need your attention.”…

People in this episode

Host: Therese Connolly

Topics covered

• teen communication
• parenting strategies
• behavior management
• conflict resolution
• screen time
• teen engagement

Keywords

• teen ignores
• parenting tips
• communication
• behavior problems
• scripts for parents
• teenagers
• conflict
• screen time

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