"What Do You Say?: by William Stixrud and Ned Johnson

William Stixrud, the co-author with Ned Johnson, of “What Do You Say?”, talks about communicating with teenagers. If you’re a parent, you’ve had a moment–maybe many of them–when you’ve thought, “How did that conversation go so badly?” At some point after the sixth grade, the same kid who asked “why” non-stop at age four suddenly stops talking to you. The good news is that effective communication can be cultivated, learned, and taught, said Stixrud. As you get better at this, so will your kids, he adds. Stixrud , who with Johnson have 60 years combined experience talking to kids one-on-one, based the title of their book on the most common question they get when out speaking to parents and educators: “What do you say?” While many adults understand the importance and power of philosophies behind the books that dominate the parenting bestseller list, parents are often left wondering how to put those concepts into action.  Stixrud talks about how to engage in respectful and effective dialogue, beginning with defining and demonstrating the basic principles of listening and speaking. Forty percent of children admit to being estranged from a parent at some point in their lives, said Stixrud, citing research. That often comes from misunderstandings based on a failure to communicate between parent and child. Stixrud also cautions about technology overload—for both parent and child.