The Huddle Wisdom Blog: For Parents of Anxious & Sensitive Kids

Helping Hard-to-Engage Kids Talk About Anxiety (and Why the Right Question Might Surprise You)

Anxiety among children has nearly doubled in recent years. According to a recent meta-analysis, around 20.5% of youth worldwide now experience anxiety symptoms. That’s roughly 1 in 5 kids.

Many of these children are hard to reach—not because they don’t want help, but because they don’t yet know how to talk about what’s going on inside.

So how do we support kids who shut down, resist, or retreat into silence?

Let me share a story that illustrates what’s possible when we lead with empathy and curiosity—even if it means taking a bit of a risk.

The Unexpected Question That Changed Everything

I was working with a 15-year-old who played video games for 7 hours a day and put in just 2 hours of schoolwork. He didn’t want to be there. He said it plainly.

But instead of confronting him about school, I surprised him.
I asked:
👉 “Why aren’t you playing more video games?”

Yes, you read that rig...