I have the best talks with my preteen son when I drive him to school in the morning. I hope he knows I'm always here for him.
The author tries to make sure her son's birthday feels separate from holiday celebrations. Courtesy of Ashley Archambault My son became quieter as he entered his tween years. Car rides turned into our most meaningful time together. Showing up consistently matters more than forcing conversations. When my son was still under 5, I worked at the local library . In my free time, my son was basically my best buddy. My supervisor at the time had teenagers, so she was in a different parenting stage than I was. I remember her saying that the secret to keeping her kids close was to drive them around as much as possible. This kept her kids talking to her and enabled her to maintain close relationships with them. She was so right with her advice. My son is now a tween My son just turned 12, and the shift from boy to teenager seems to have happened overnight. He is becoming more independent and less talkative — with me, but not his social circle. I know it's the natural orde...
