One of my girlfriends told me about this great magic phrase that opens doors to the heart and mind of her teen son. I was all ears! I often feel drowning in testosterone here, having been the mother of two teen boys, who are out of the nest, then being in the thick of mothering two more, with a tween boy up and coming. I appreciate anything to feel like I’m keeping afloat of these burgeoning young men!

She said when she uses it, it is like sprinkling salt on food. It makes what she says a lot more palatable.

She said it’s the simple phrase, “I respect you…”

She says when she remembers to tack it on to whatever else she is saying, he listens and is much more likely to agree with her.

“I respect you, and that’s why I’m doing this…”

”I respect your time, so now here’s what I want you to do, if you would please…”

“I respect your thinking, so here’s what I thought would work for you…”

She said she learned this from Dr. Emerson Eggerichs, in the book Mother and Son: the Respect Effect.

So the book is definitely on my to read list. In the meantime, I’m enjoying these videos from Dr. Eggerichs done with Focus on the Family here.