Raising a Son
Boys don’t always communicate with words, especially during the teenage years. I help moms better understand their sons as they mature so the relationship grows with him.
A lot of how I think about this relationship comes from my own experience as a son and the relationship I’ve built with my mom over time.
A lot of friction between mothers and sons comes from two people who care deeply about each other interpreting the same moment very differently.
What looks like distance can be a growing need for independence. What sounds like “I don’t care” can be a boy who does not yet know how to explain what he is feeling. And sometimes bad behavior is simply bad behavior.
The goal is not to excuse everything. It is to understand what is actually happening before deciding what it means.
Eventually, you know him because he chooses to let you know him.
Featured Book
For mothers of boys ages 9–18
A practical guide to understanding the forces shaping boys today, seeing the boy behind the behavior, and staying close as he becomes more independent.
The book explores identity, online influence, your relationship with him, and the kind of man you’re helping him become.
$37
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For the conversations and challenges that repeat themselves
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Communication
The Deposit
A simple way to get him talking without turning every conversation into questions. Share something small and true first, then leave him room to meet you there.
Get the free guide →Phones & Boundaries
The Phone Fight Audit
A five-minute audit to figure out what you’re actually fighting about, which battles matter, and what’s missing from the boundary you’re trying to hold.
Get the free guide →Gaming
The Last Match
A practical way to end the nightly “get off the game” fight by agreeing on the cutoff and his last-match buffer before the conflict starts.
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The Son Translator
The Son Translator is where I go deeper on the everyday realities of raising a son: communication, independence, phones, boundaries, conflict, motivation, and the things boys do not always know how to explain yet.
Follow along for new ideas, tools, and resources as the library grows.
Boys, behavior, culture, and the forces shaping who they become