Dear Dr. Meg,

While I understand connection is key with children, how do you connect with a teenager that doesn’t talk very much, extremely introverted. I’m asking from a mentor of at risk youth standpoint as well as a parent. Meaning, some of the kids that I come in contact with are standoffish due to things they may have dealt with in their lives. I’m asking also as a single mother who has an introverted daughter. Her father is in the picture but lives about 2 hours away so she doesn’t get to see him that often.

Sincerely,

Trying to Connect

Dear Trying to Connect,

I applaud you for being so observant with your daughter’s behavior as well as the behavior of other teens. Many times parents brush off a teen’s withdrawal as “normal teen” behavior. Most often, it is not healthy behavior.

The first order of business is to try and figure out if your daughter is depressed. I don’t know where you live but winter is a really tough time for many who live in northern dark climates. Did this behavior start recently? If not, then look at other things in her life: how is her sleep pattern? eating…