Connect With Your Teens | Conversation Starters, Parenting Tips, Screen Time, Build Connection, Communication Skills

  Ever feel like you’re doing everything you know to build connection with your teen… but somehow you feel farther apart than ever? Sometimes the biggest barrier to building connection isn’t a lack of love—it’s the assumptions we make before we’ve taken the time to truly understand what’s happening in our teen’s heart and life. Fear can quietly fill in the blanks, causing us to react instead of re...

Have your conversations with your teen turned into one-word answers, awkward silence, or talks that feel more like interviews than connection? If so, you’re not alone—and it doesn’t mean your relationship is beyond repair. Many moms think they need one big heart-to-heart conversation to reconnect with their teen. But what if the answer isn’t one perfect conversation? What if it’s creating more opp...

Ever feel like you’re doing everything you know to connect with your teen… and somehow you’re growing further apart instead of closer? You drive them everywhere. Make meals. Solve problems. Pray for them. Yet conversations still end with eye rolls, one-word answers, or silence. Sometimes the biggest communication problem isn’t what we’re saying—it’s where our focus is. In this episode, I share a p...

Do you ever feel like you’re constantly dealing with attitude, screen time, lack of communication, conflict, or poor choices? Most moms assume those things are the reason they feel disconnected from their teen. But what if they’re not the root problem? In this episode, Terri shares a powerful mindset shift that can change the way you approach parenting teens and help you build connection, build tr...

Do you ever find yourself reacting more strongly than you want to when your teen says or does something that pushes your buttons? Maybe you’ve tried all the parenting tips, practiced better communication skills, and worked hard to build Connection, but certain conversations still leave you feeling frustrated, anxious, or emotionally drained. In Part 2 of my conversation with Lori Owens, Resilience...

Do you ever feel like you’re carrying the weight of your teen’s choices, emotions, future, and faith on your shoulders? As moms, it’s easy to believe that if we just say the right thing, do the right thing, or try a little harder, we can prevent mistakes and protect our teens from pain. But what if some of the stress, anxiety, and overwhelm you’re carrying was never yours to carry in the first pla...

Are you praying for your teen but still feeling stuck in the same communication struggles? You love your teen. You pray for them. You ask God to help. Yet conversations still end in silence, misunderstandings, eye rolls, or frustration. If you’ve ever wondered why the relationship isn’t changing despite your prayers, this episode is for you. In this episode, we’re exploring why parenting teens tak...

Do conversations with your teen seem to end before they really begin? You ask questions. You try to help. You care deeply. Yet somehow the conversation gets shorter instead of deeper, and you’re left wondering why it’s so hard to connect. The truth is that many moms aren’t struggling because they don’t care enough. They’re struggling because they’re trying so hard to help that they accidentally mi...

Have you ever felt like your teen’s phone gets more attention than you do? Maybe summer break arrived and you were hoping for more conversations, more connection, and more time together. Instead, it feels like every interaction starts with trying to pull your teen’s attention away from a screen. If you’ve ever felt ignored, dismissed, or less important than whatever is happening on your teen’s pho...

Have you ever found yourself thinking… “If my teen would just change, things would finally get better”? Maybe if they would talk more. Maybe if they would stop pushing back. Maybe if they would be more respectful. Maybe if they would open up. If you’ve ever felt stuck waiting for your teen to change before your relationship can improve, you’re not alone. In this episode, we talk about a personal s...

Do you ever feel physically present with your teen… but mentally somewhere else? Thinking about the dishes. The work. The schedule. The text you forgot to answer. The pressure of trying to hold everything together. Sometimes moms carry so much for so long that their souls stop feeling rested… and it quietly begins affecting communication, emotional connection, and even the ability to truly listen....

Why do conversations with teens get tense so fast… especially while driving? One minute you’re calmly giving instructions. The next, you’re gripping the door handle, correcting everything, emotionally flooded, and wondering why your teen suddenly shuts down. In Part 2 of this conversation, Terri’s husband, Ed Lee, shares his honest perspective on teaching their teens to drive — including how fear...

Does teaching your teen to drive leave both of you tense, frustrated, or emotionally exhausted? Maybe you’re trying to help…but your teen experiences your guidance as pressure, control, or criticism instead. This episode is part 1 of a 2-part series on teaching your teen to drive while building trust and without damaging connection. Terri shares a powerful conversation with a mom whose daughter fe...

Have you ever noticed the more questions you ask… the more your teen shuts down? The conversation starts with good intentions. You’re trying to understand. Trying to connect. Trying to help. But somehow it keeps ending with: “I don’t know.” “Nothing.” “Fine.” In this episode, we talk about why some questions create emotional safety… while others accidentally create pressure and defensiveness. Beca...

You’re doing everything you can to hold it all together… but underneath the schedules, conversations, responsibilities, and emotional weight of parenting teens… you still feel overwhelmed. And maybe what’s exhausting you isn’t just how much you’re carrying. Maybe it’s the disconnection stress and fear quietly create inside us. In this episode, Terri talks about the hidden emotional and spiritual r...

Do you ever feel like your teen is slipping further away behind screens, short answers, or silence? Maybe conversations feel tense lately… or maybe you’re trying so hard to keep the peace that you’ve started walking on eggshells, unsure how to communicate without triggering conflict or pushing them further away. In Part 2 of this conversation, Kasey Leander from Summit Ministries shares why teens...

What if your teen’s questions about God aren’t a sign that you’ve failed? When your teen shuts down, pushes back, or doesn’t want to talk about faith, it can stir up fear fast. You may wonder if you said too much, didn’t say enough, or somehow missed something as a mom. In this honest conversation with Kasey Leander from Summit Ministries, we talk about why faith questions are often part of a teen...

Are conversations with your teen leaving you feeling anxious… second-guessing everything you say? Do you find yourself walking on eggshells—trying so hard to keep the peace, but still ending up in shutdown, short answers, or tension? If you’ve ever walked away from a conversation with your teen thinking, “What just happened?” or “Why does this keep happening?”—this episode is for you. In this week...

Do conversations with your teen ever go sideways… even when you’re trying to do everything right? You’re learning communication skills…You want to stay calm, present, and connected…But in the moment—something shifts. You feel the pressure. The fear. The urgency to fix, correct, or respond quickly. And suddenly… the conversation doesn’t go the way you hoped. If you’ve ever walked away thinking, “I...

Do you ever feel yourself shift in a conversation with your teen…like you were calm one moment—and suddenly you’re reacting? Maybe they roll their eyes…shut down…or go back to their phone…And something in you tightens. That moment?  It’s not random. And it’s not just about communication skills. In Part 3 of this series, I’m walking you through a simple, faith-anchored process to recognize what’s h...

Have you ever been in a conversation with your teen…and suddenly it feels like more is at stake than just the conversation? Like their reaction means something about you…or if you don’t handle it right, you might lose connection? That pressure you feel in those moments…isn’t random. And it’s not just about your communication skills. In Part 2 of this series, we uncover two more lies that quietly s...

Do you ever walk away from a conversation with your teen thinking…“That’s not how I wanted that to go…” You tried to stay calm. You chose your words carefully. You were intentional…And somehow, it still felt tense, disconnected, or off. What if it’s not just about what you’re saying…but what’s driving you underneath the conversation? In this episode, we begin a powerful 2-part series uncovering th...

What if the reason your teen shuts down…isn’t because they don’t want to talk—but because they don’t feel understood? So many moms feel stuck in constant conflict, walking on eggshells, or unsure how to communicate without it turning into an argument. In this episode, we’re talking about one powerful shift in communication skills that can help you stop arguing with your teen, build connection, and...

What happens after your teen finally opens up… Do things actually change? Or does it go right back to the way it was before? If you’ve ever had a good conversation with your teen and wondered, “Will this last?”—this episode is for you. In this episode of Connect With Your Teens, we continue the conversation with Dina Windle, a mom of a teenage daughter, and explore what happened after that first b...

What do you do when your teen is angry… emotional… or pushing you away? Most of us react. We defend. We try to fix. But what if the moment you feel the most tension…is actually your greatest opportunity to build connection? In this episode, Terri sits down with mom Dina Windle for a real-life conversation about a difficult moment with her daughter—one that could have created more distance, but ins...