02/22/2026
No one warns you about this part.
It’s not the slammed doors.
It’s not the big fights.
It’s not obvious rebellion.
It’s the quiet.
The shift from stories at the dinner table…to one-word answers in the car.
The way conversations slowly become logistics:
“Practice is at 5.”
“Did you finish your homework?”
“What time will you be home?”
Nothing is wrong.
But something feels different.
And because there’s no crisis, we tell ourselves it’s fine.
“They’re just growing up.”
“This is normal.”
And yes — some distance is part of growing.
But here’s what no one talks about:
Quiet distance doesn’t happen in one big moment.
It happens in tiny missed ones.
The moments we’re tired.
The moments we rush.
The moments we assume we’ll “talk later.”
Connection doesn’t disappear dramatically.
It fades gradually.
The good news?
It rebuilds the same way.
In small, steady moments.
In intentional questions.
In choosing depth over efficiency.
In creating space where your child feels safe being fully known.
You don’t need a crisis to come closer again.
Sometimes you just need to notice the quiet…and decide to lean in.
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