Good day parents. It’s Barbara the parenting teens expert here and I’ve got another idea on how to get your teens talking so “shut up and listen.” Hey, this is information that you will want to know.

If I had a dollar for every time a parent told me that they couldn’t keep a conversation going with their teen I’d be a very rich woman. But, I’m less concerned about those dollars and more concerned about keeping you in the know. You all know that I work with teens and parents almost every single day. Lately, I’ve heard teens attempt to end conversations with the phrase “And yeah.” My impression is that they say this when there is lots more to tell but they need a little encouragement to continue.

When the teens say “and yeah” I have now learned to say “go on” and they do. They need a gentle nudge but they will keep talking. So, my suggestion for parents is not to let the conversation end when the teens use this phrase. Persist and they’ll talk. I hope this helps!

Consider what the Urban Dictionary has to say about this:

1.  and yeah
Any thing that you can’t say in front of adults. “I “and yeah’ed” so much last night I don’t
remember how i got home.”

xo

Dr. Barbara Greenberg
Parenting Teens Expert & Clinical Psychologist

This post originally appeared on Dr. Barbara Greenberg’s blog and has been republished here with her permission. For more articles and advice on communicating with teens, DrBarbaraGreenberg.com.