Season 04 Ep 01: What Do I Do When My Kid Won't Talk to Me? with Flyn Alexander
I think we’ve all been in that place with our kids where they are clearly going through something big - something with friends, something with sex, mental health, transness, something that makes your parent heart go “Oh god - I need more information about this so I can help and protect and make sure that nothing bad happens to them.”
So you put out the bid for connection and try to engage in the conversation and your kid gives you NOTHING.
They stare blankly at you, they say “I don’t want to talk about it,” or “I dunno.” And you get emotionally snared and the harder you push, the less they want to talk to you.
Sound familiar?
In this episode, I’m talking with Flyn Alexander about ways to talk with trans kids who may be hesitant or uncomfortable discussing sensitive topics, such as their transition.
Flyn Alexander is a clinical social worker who specializes in working with transgender individuals and their families. He graduated from Michigan State with his MSW. Flyn uses he and they pronouns and is an out and proud trans man.
When Flyn approached me about working at Wild Heart Society, I was like “I really don’t have room to take on more people” but after spending 20 minutes with him I was like “I”m gonna figure out how to do this because this guy is flipping awesome.”
His energy is contagious. He is courageous, calm, funny, joyful, introspective, and a changemaker. I’m so thrilled he is on our team, and I’m so excited to share this conversation with you.
Find this episode for free on your favorite podcast player.
Check out the full episode to hear about:
Why asking your kid a lot of questions can make them clam up so hard
Why you have to separate the narrative of your kiddo’s life that’s in your head from the truth about themselves that they’re telling you
Why parents should investigate their own gender journeys and how gender and other complicated conversations are handled at home
Strategies and key reminders for approaching conversations about gender with your child