I have just returned from a great holiday, Queensland again.
Did a lot more travelling this time round, headed for the outback, away from city noises and traffic chaos.
Visited family. On this particular day my husband and myself decided to take a walk out to this island for a little exercise (When the tide goes out you can walk across, it takes about half an hour.)
My brother-in-law said he would come and take the dogs for a walk, he also told his 14 year old son to come along. (Hardly gets any exercise.)
Now this teen sits at his computer playing games and talking with people all over the world for hours, I mean well over six hours a day, especially on the weekends. I was surprised he said yes.
As we drove to the island his father asked "How was school?"
The response, "good," usual answer, nothing else.
Before I had really thought about it I replied "Now, we're not suppose to ask that, what we should really ask is "Ohh, let me think, what did you learn in maths today?"
Do you know he did not stop talking for the whole trip to the island. He went on to tell me that he learnt algebra, not my forte, maths never was. Explained how they had a problem that had to be solved and how he went about it.
When we got home I asked my husband about what had happened. He said he was amazed how much his nephew talked and how much detail he went into. He is a teen who is very hard to get a conversation out of, usually a grunt and sometimes never even acknowledges that you are there.
Perhaps I was just lucky or maybe it really works. Thinking about the way we talk to our children, how we can engage them into a conversation without trying real hard and when we do sound enthusiastic.
Try not to use the same old questions everyday because you will get the same old response. If you think its boring no doubt your children will to.
Try this with you teenager and if at first you don't succeed, try, try again.
Did a lot more travelling this time round, headed for the outback, away from city noises and traffic chaos.
Visited family. On this particular day my husband and myself decided to take a walk out to this island for a little exercise (When the tide goes out you can walk across, it takes about half an hour.)
My brother-in-law said he would come and take the dogs for a walk, he also told his 14 year old son to come along. (Hardly gets any exercise.)
Now this teen sits at his computer playing games and talking with people all over the world for hours, I mean well over six hours a day, especially on the weekends. I was surprised he said yes.
As we drove to the island his father asked "How was school?"
The response, "good," usual answer, nothing else.
Before I had really thought about it I replied "Now, we're not suppose to ask that, what we should really ask is "Ohh, let me think, what did you learn in maths today?"
Do you know he did not stop talking for the whole trip to the island. He went on to tell me that he learnt algebra, not my forte, maths never was. Explained how they had a problem that had to be solved and how he went about it.
When we got home I asked my husband about what had happened. He said he was amazed how much his nephew talked and how much detail he went into. He is a teen who is very hard to get a conversation out of, usually a grunt and sometimes never even acknowledges that you are there.
Perhaps I was just lucky or maybe it really works. Thinking about the way we talk to our children, how we can engage them into a conversation without trying real hard and when we do sound enthusiastic.
Try not to use the same old questions everyday because you will get the same old response. If you think its boring no doubt your children will to.
Try this with you teenager and if at first you don't succeed, try, try again.
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