Once the tweens start middle school it gets hard as parents to stay in touch with everything that goes on in their life. It just gets simply hard to talk about the everyday routine they had in school and all that they go through. The distance just keeps increasing. Although there are ways to make the tweens open up by asking the question at the right time. You can ask some genius questions to make your tween talk to you .This will open doors to a conversation between the tweens and parents. Below are some ways parents can make their kids open up to them.
Choose the right moment
In middle school, the kids lead a busy life and they hardly have time to be with their family as they are busy attending or just tucked in their room doing their stuff. Parents should make an effort to make their way around their busy schedules. They can find opportunities to talk like when giving the kids a ride, during meal times, and the time before bedtime.
Be a listener
When kids are sharing their experiences regarding something or just telling how their day went, it is best to just listen to what they are saying. Put away distractions from phone usage, turn the TV off, and just simply focus on what they are trying to convey. This forms great bonds between the parents and the tweens as they realise that they are not alone and there are people like their parents who are always there for them.
Be curious
Tweens can tell from afar if the parents are faking when it comes to listening to them. So try not to fool them. Fooling them only tarnishes the image of their parents for them. This may allow for crack hatred in their relationships with their parents. Pay attention to what they say. If they are telling jokes, ask them to explain and ask them why they found it funny.
To make your kids talk, ask open ended questions
Asking an open-ended question is a fun way of making them speak up. The open-ended question makes them think and somehow challenges them to answer the question. The open-ended question does not have any right answer. This assures them they will not get in trouble.
20 questions to make your tween talk
1. If there was one subject that could be gotten rid off, what would it be?
2. So far who has been your favourite teacher?
3. Mention the most annoying school rule?
4. If invisibility could be granted for a day, what would you do at school with it?
5. What is the most dreadful part of the school day?
6. If you were given a chance of rating your day of 1 to 10, what would it be and why ?
7. What is the most embarrassing thing you did?
8. Do you believe in the possibility of the existence of aliens?
9. Can you think of your favourite family holiday?
10. Is it more enjoyable to be a kid or an adult?
11. As a kid what are the things adults don’t get?
12. Where would you go if you could travel anywhere in the world?
13. What are the three things that you cannot live without?
14. Right now what is the colour that describes your mood?
15. Loads or acquaintances of a few good friends, what would you rather have?
16. What time would you go back to if you could time travel?
17. If you could meet a famous person who would it be?
18. Which song could you listen to next month?
19. Is being famous good?
20. When you grow up, would you prefer to live in the countryside or the city?
Conclusion
As the kids grow they also grow apart from their parents. The above tips can solve many of these problems. Asking an open-ended question is a great way of doing this. Parents can question things like what they hate or like about the school, what subjects should be removed, parents can also like to talk about things like what places they want to go to or if they are satisfied with the school administration.You can ask above mentioned genius questions to make your tween talk to you and bond with you.
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Do read my previous article in these series of : “Parenting TweenS”
A: A transformative age called tweens
Conversations with kids is so important instead of just giving them what they want or forcing them to do certain things.