Over the years I have learned that there are times when my kids love to talk, and times when they just don’t. As a full time single dad I am sure that I probably talk way to much for their liking. I am always trying to impart what little wisdom I have upon them through our conversations. I believe that this is called parenting, they believe that this is called nagging. What I have to remember is that there are times to parent and then there are times to just listen. As the old saying goes “God gave us two ears and one mouth for a reason.” That saying is a bit tough for me to swallow since the kids believe I have such a big mouth:)
What I have learned over the years as a parent is that children are no different than us. They really do want to share stories with you, it just has to be when the time is right. I my daughters case, right after I pick her up from school is the perfect time to talk. She is filled with stories of what went on at school, who got in trouble and who has a crush on who. She is a regular chatterbox. I always make sure that I ask her two questions each afternoon. What was the best thing that happened at school today and what was the worst thing? Those two questions will bring out a conversation for as long as you want. For my son it is a bit different. He is 15 and usually isn’t going to share his entire day with me on the way home. He definitely isn’t going to share with me during his favorite television show, video game or text sessions with his friends. For him Sushi Rolls and Yellow Tail seem to be the magic potion that turns on the communication button.
Last night while Michaela was attending a friends sleepover (no school today) Jack and I went off to his favorite sushi restaurant. It was just he and I one on one. Just a boys night out. No little sister trying to dominate the conversation. From the moment we sat down he started talking. He was like an auctioneer at a charity event. We talked about school, friends, weekend plans. We talked about ideas that he had and how his day went. There is something about one on one time with dad that brings out the best in Jack. Maybe it was the six Yellow Tail he ordered, or the Crunchy Roll, or the Mi-so soup or the shrimp, but whatever it was, it was his time to talk. Continue reading »