Raising a child that has a tendency to spend a lot of time by themselves and gets upset easily is no easy task. The adolescent years can be particularly tough for introverted boys. Some tend to spend a lot of time by themselves and get teased, internalizing the negative words that are thrown their way. Communicating with adolescent girls can be really challenging for introverted teenage boys. Here are some ways you can help.
Get Him To Open Up
If your introverted teen feels comfortable opening up to you about having trouble talking to girls, that’s a giant step in the right direction. If he approaches you and asks for your advice, it’s important to listen and take the challenges he faces seriously. Introverted teens can easily shut down if they don’t feel like you’re taking them seriously. If you can empathize, that’s even better.
Suggest Activities
Encourage him to look into activities that include all genders so that they can have an opportunity to communicate with people who have a shared interest. If they have something that they’re interested in and passionate about it makes it easier to connect with other people who have that shared interest. It could be sports, band or a volunteer organization.
Practice Conversation Starters
Knowing what to say is one of the biggest challenges for introverted teenage boys when they try to talk to girls. Especially if they’re feeling anxious about a certain some one, they can easily clam up when it’s time to talk. Here are some suggestions to pass along:
Give A Compliment – Everyone likes to hear something nice about themselves. Here’s an example — “That was a great presentation that you gave in science class.” It’s especially important to emphasize that even if she doesn’t respond the way he expected it’s still great that he chose to say something nice and make a friend.
Ask Questions – A particularly good tactic, especially for introverted teens is to ask lots of questions in order to break the ice. Even if your teen isn’t a talker, chances are there are a few teens out there that will appreciate it if they are good listeners.
Have One-On-One Conversations – Instead of approaching a giant group of teens, find opportunities to have one-on-one conversations. Those are less intimidating, especially for introverted teen boys.
The most important thing for your son to know is that above all else, they need to be respectful every step of the way. It will inevitably take more than a few times to get it right and it’s important to teach your introverted teen that when it comes to talking to girls, there’s no perfect formula so it’s not always going to work out the way they want it to. Here at Sundance Canyon Academy we believe that bouncing back from failure is the secret to success.