Joanna Fortune: My teenager doesn't want to get a summer job  

"When talking with our teenagers, try to follow the mantra ‘your toes follow your nose’. Ensure that you turn fully to face them when speaking, giving them your full attention for a few moments."

"The question is how to be heard through the soundproof walls of adolescence. Stay interested in what interests him."

My teenage son is going through a non-communicative phase. He answers ‘yes’ or ‘no’ when I ask him a question, but says little beyond this. 

By contrast, I can hear him laughing and chatting freely whenever his friends call him or when they are gaming online.