“Hey honey, how was your day?”
“Fine.”
The one word answer.
Oh, mama, do we know that one. Right?
You try to ask a simple intelligible question to your girl about her day and you may as well be talking to a brick wall for all the answer you get. Or a brick wall that gives one word answers… when it feels like it.
Hellloooooo, I’m like trying to bond with you, daughter of mine!
Worse, sometimes there’s that eye roll, or the silent attitude of ‘leave me alone,’ that makes you feel like you’re suuuuch an idiot for even asking.
Have you ever felt that way?
Aha! Well, then this week’s episode of We Thrive TV is for you.
On the blog this week, we’re getting practical! You ready to know HOW to ask the questions your daughter will actually answer?
Click the video below to watch.
Once you’ve gotten a chance to check out the video, leave a comment below — because collective wisdom rocks, and we want to hear your take. We need each other, mama.
Love,
Sil & Eliza
P.S. Use the links below to share this video with a mama in your circle who’s ready to wave bye-bye to the one word answers — because sharing is caring, and everyone could use a stronger bond.
Great reminder! Being the space for our girls to open up is key! In the car seems to be a great place to have these conversations sometimes. Awkwardness avoided by not having to look at each other if that’s where you need to be!
Exactly Tanja! We mothers need to be okay with the indirect (sometimes awkward) approach so our girls know they can keep coming back again and again to the safe harbor we create for them to open up in.
I’m going to practice this with my granddaughters. I’m open to it. My children got by quite well without this eggshell approach though. Surely a lot of communication with teenagers is patience and
common sense. Know your child and spend time with them.
I love that you are open to it Joanie! So much of this comes naturally- it takes patience, common sense, and practice!
Thanks for the insight. Some of my best conversations with my preteen daughter happen later at night; she is a night owl. I crawl onto her bed with her and cuddle, sing with her, pray with her, and then we just talk. I still make the mistake of asking after school, “How was your day?” But, our night time conversations, when she is wanting to avoid going to bed, are very fruitful and meaningful.
Thanks so much for sharing your mothering wisdom with us Kristin. You have created a bedtime ritual that is about strengthening your bond, joy, spirituality, safety, love… so very fruitful and meaningful. Wow. Beautiful.
Spot on again, thanks and a great reminder! Incidental opportunities are the key and knowing when to back off. It is these times when I have been more casually or incidentally available that I find my daughter comes to me to share something (often later that day or the next day) and we strike gold!
Love the “strike gold” Libby! It sometimes happen when we least expect it. Grace! Eureka!