Anyone out there parenting teenage boys? Mine is late teens and so quiet. He barely says anything to us; yes/no/maybe/I don’t know/I don’t care answers…we see him with friends though and his mouth is always moving!
He’s a good kid; does anything we tell him without complaint, never asks for anything, very calm and easy going. He’s just so quiet! Given we are not a loud, outgoing, extremely talky family; not to his extent though. It’s like pulling teeth to have a conversation with him and then it’s basically one sided; we ask questions he answers.
Is this typical for everyone’s teen boys or no?
I don't have children, but I have plenty of experience teaching all ages academic, evangelism and specialized physical education.
The world has established a system that is not God centered, nor family centered. For 8 hours/day from preschool forward, children are influenced by strangers who replace the God given role of the parents.
This is not by accident. This cultural norm is the Prussian model that was established for the benefit of the government and the corporations.
This is a hard thing to accept because we have been raised the same way. The families that seem most communicative and closest in general are those that make priorities from breastfeeding on to establish the bonds necessary. That includes taking back that time from strangers and investing directly in the children. Establishing close bonds, common values and yes Biblical principles.
Teenage boys usually go through some changes that naturally help them transition to be more independent. However, that doesn't need to be a distancing from the parents. You are the parent and must establish that leadership role by initiating family activities. I would not let the peer group decide or gain the role that schools have taken away. If I had children, I would involve them in activities that include me, not some teams of others that I drop them off at for the next 5 years for practice and games.
The friends should have a place to meet under your supervision, not somewhere else.
My Dad was a champion boxer representing the US Army. We should have spent more time in that training together as a regular class each week throughout childhood. Then he had welding, automotive and carpentry skills that one semester in 8th grade can't compare to. I could have been my Dad's apprentice and learned half a dozen valuable trades if my parents were doing things God's way. No disrespect to them. It was just that neither were Christians and divorce is common these days.
Children should receive what parents invested thousands of hours in to get to where they are. There should also be new activities that are fun for the whole family. Communication would become more common through report. Authority, respect and love is what God commands and teaches in His Word.
The parents can't expect the government institutions impart that, it must be the parent that trains that .
There are plenty of online helps when it comes to communication skills. I subscribe to one that might be helpful is Jefferson Fisher YouTube channel. There are also plenty of online homeschool aids and channels that provide endless supplies of ideas.
