“My child won't talk to me”

Sideways conversations, specific questions, and the value of asking less.

Routines · Ritual
The Dinner Table Routine
Not everyone can eat together every night, and the pressure to try is its own problem. Here is the version that works for real schedules — and what makes the difference once everyone is sitting down.
20 minutes, three or four nights a week
Daily Practices · Practice
The Five Senses Pause
A grounding practice short enough to use in a supermarket car park, and concrete enough to work when breathing exercises are refused.
60 seconds
Daily Practices · Ritual
The Morning Send-Off Sentence
The final ten seconds of a morning tend to be spent on reminders. One consistent sentence instead does something a reminder cannot.
10 seconds
Family Meetings · Conversation
What Should We Talk About at a Family Meeting? 25 Questions to Get You Started
Twenty-five questions that hold up in a real kitchen — for checking in, planning, solving something, reconnecting, marking a win and getting ready for what's coming.
Pick two. Five minutes.
Routines · Ritual
The After-School Routine: Helping Kids Transition From School to Home
After school is a transition, not a time slot. Food, quiet, and a delay on questions will do more for the evening than any homework schedule.
The first 40 minutes
Daily Practices · Practice
The Two-Minute Check-In That Helps Families Stay Connected
Two minutes, same time each day, one question, no follow-ups. The practice works precisely because it asks for so little.
2 minutes, daily
Daily Practices · Practice
Connection Before Correction: A 30-Second Practice for Hard Moments
Thirty seconds of contact before the instruction. Not instead of the instruction — this is not a case for fewer boundaries, it is a case for boundaries that work.
30 seconds
Family Meetings · Conversation
When One Parent Isn't Sold on Family Meetings
A reluctant partner is not an obstacle to work around. Here is how to have the conversation honestly — and what to do if the answer is still no.
One 20-minute conversation between adults
Family Meetings · Guide
The Fifteen-Minute Family Meeting
Most family meetings fail because they are called in a crisis. This one is short, boring, scheduled, and it is the reason the crisis conversations go better.
15 minutes, once a week

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