Learn the names of your child's friends
Knowing who is who turns 'how was school' into a conversation that can actually go somewhere.
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Why it lands
Children answer general questions with nothing because a general question asks them to summarize a day they have not processed. A question with a name in it does the opposite — it gives them a specific thing to react to. Parents who know the cast get years of information that parents who do not never hear, and it costs one evening of paying attention.
How
Write the names down if you have to. Then ask about the specific: “Is Maya still not talking to Ella?” rather than “how was school?” Ask in the car or while washing up — side by side beats face to face for anyone under eighteen.
Answer if you want. It changes which ideas are shown first.
What happened when someone did it
It led to hearing stories about her friends... good bonding time
Someone, Austin
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