Ep. 78: Winning Arguments

<p><a href="https://talkingtoteens.com/winning-arguments/">Click for full show notes, exercises, and parenting scripts from this episode</a></p><p><br>Voices rise. Doors slam. Yours teen calls you a name you <em>know</em> you didn’t teach them. But their room’s locked, and you can’t get inside to calm them down. When they finally emerge hours later, they hardly speak, and you’re unsure of how to repair the damage done…</p><p><br>This is what can happen when arguments with teenagers go too far.</p><p><br>Teens are inherently emotional, and disputes with them quickly evolve from simple disagreements into high-stakes battlegrounds. The transition is swift and unforgiving, and many parents don’t realize they’re in a serious argument until it’s too late! As a parent, it’s vital for you to know how to navigate these situations and deescalate conflicts with your teen. If not, even a small argument can transform into a relationship-altering feud, one that irreparably jeopardizes the trust, love, and respect you and your teen have for each other.</p><p>For some veteran advice on how to strategize and understand these kinds of confrontations, I spoke with Stanley Fish, author of <a href="https://amzn.to/2UKtTqv"><em>Winning Arguments: What Works and Doesn’t work in Politics, the Bedroom, the Courtroom, and the Classroom</em></a><em>—</em>along with <a href="https://amzn.to/39tFaAW"><em>The First: How to Think About Hate Speech, Campus Speech, Religious Speech, Fake News, Post-Truth, and Donald Trump</em></a> and seventeen other books! Fish has a long, distinguished career in academia that makes him an expert in many fields, and his tips and insights are sure to help any parent dealing with especially argumentative teens.</p><p>To start, Fish makes it clear that disagreements are an unavoidable part of life. In fact, he argues that arguments are actually more common than agreements! With this in mind, you shouldn’t be too worried about the clashes between yourself and your teen. They’re inevitable. What you <em>sho