Hello. My 15-year-old son has gone deep into defense mode since staring 9th grade in August. Prior to 8th grade he did well because he attended a small private school where he had friends, people who knew him since Pre-K. He felt safe and comfortable and had minimal demands compared to high school. I am reading the posts here and our problems are all so similar: no interests or motivation, shutting down, depression and anxiety. I attended one of the AE workshops and finished the Accountability Plan. I agree so much with the philosophy but it is not easy to implement and set boundaries without getting my self or my son further into defense mode. The school suggested they collect my son's phone in the morning and return it after school because he is "sneaking" it in class. I would like to do this but I'm afraid it will send him deeper into defense mode. How do you balance boundaries. Thoughts?

Posted by patricia1 at 2023-01-06 12:32:11 UTC