Getting your child to open up to you

Have you ever struggled to strike up a conversation and get your child to talk to you about their day whether it was at school or after a night over at their friends? It’s never fun when every reply is one word like okay, yes, good, or fine.  We’ve figured out four ways to help get the conversation going between you and them.

1: Ask questions in the car; don’t wait to ask them at home

Your child is more likely to open up to you right away rather than after time passes. In a car, there is less to be distracted by. You can focus on a conversation and there is no eye contact needed because you’re looking at the road.

2: Don’t ask a question that they can answer with one word

If you’re going to ask a broad question expect a broad answer. Great ways to get the conversation going is asking about certain parts of their day instead of how their day was in general. Ask them what was the best part of their day, who did they play with at lunch, what’s their favorite subject. By asking these in-depth questions you will get a better idea of how their day was.

3: Watch them

Is your child not a talker? Make an observation and mention that about them. ‘You look tired? Oh, that sounds tough, why is that? “ It will get the conversation flowing. It will be much easier for your child to ease into the conversation with you.

4:  Don’t turn it into a lecture or overreact

Maybe you have a child that is ready to talk and it’s about a problem. Don’t turn it into a lecture or overreact. If you do that they might close off and not want to talk anymore. If you lend an ear they’ll continue going.

Apply these four tactics while talking with your child; they could make an uncomfortable conversation much smoother.