I feel very fortunate to have a family I truly enjoy spending time with…especially during the last year when contact with others has been extremely limited.
I will say when trying to engage conversation with my kids – I found myself getting very frustrated because all I ever got was “good”…and it was driving me to insanity.
All my questions…
How was school?
How was gymnastics?
How was the movie?
How is your teacher?
How was your hamburger?
How was your workout?
All got the same answer: Good
It got to be so frustrating I ended up not even wanting to ask. At one point I asked them if they were going to reply with “good” they then needed to tell me why – not just give me a one word answer. That worked for a day and then I became even more bitter because not only did they still answer with “good” they then would forget to give me any other details.
Dinner time became frustrating and I decided to start a new tradition…instead of me asking any question and getting “good” as a response – we started sharing something we learned that day. It had to be an explainable situation or fact. Not only do I not hear “good” now – I also look forward to hearing what they have to say and what they find important or interesting to report.
If you find yourself in a similar situation – try all sharing (you included) something you learned each day. Regardless of your age or the day – we are always learning something and it makes for an interesting conversation.
Grandma Z
Great idea and great parenting! I love to hear that you are all participating in “conversation” with each other which is so important in communication skills and keeping up with what everyone is doing every day.