How to stop nagging your kids

After picking up Difficult Conversations by Anne Dickson at random, I started rethinking the way I talk to my teen. Here's what changed.

Nagging rarely works. What works is asking, listening, and then - crucially - being quiet long enough for the answer.

Anne Dickson's book breaks down the patterns we fall into without realising. The 'martyr', the 'bully', the 'fixer'. Most of us recognise ourselves in at least one.

The biggest shift for me: stating what I need, once, clearly, then stepping back. It's harder than it sounds, but it changes the temperature of the whole house.