Back to School Questions to Ask Your Kids

Start a New Tradition This Year

Back-to-School Questions to Ask Your Kids

It seems the natural thing to do, when talking to a young person during the end of summer, to ask if they are ready for school to start. The answer seems to come just as naturally in the form of an ear piercing, "NNNNOOOO WWWWWAAAAYYYY!!!!

The same scenario plays out with teachers, too. Same question, same answer. Of course there are exceptions to everything. Some students and teachers can't wait to get back into the swing of things. The majority of folks, however, think summer needs to be a couple hundred days longer.

So before your life as a parent turns into a whirlwind of early morning carpools, busy afternoon homework sessions, and projects, projects, projects, savor those last lazy moments with your kids. While you are lying on the grass making shapes out of the clouds with them, ask your kids a question or two. That's right, make them think! Warm up their brains, and learn a thing or two about your kids while you're at it.

Before you burn the following questions into your brain or write them on the palm of your hand, there are a couple of things you need to keep front and center in you mind.

First of all, this is not the time for judgment. No right or wrong answers here, no keeping score. Just listening, learning, and sharing. If something comes up that bothers you, let it go if you can. If it is something more serious, come back to the problem later when you've had some time to think about the best way to address it. Remember, the point is to get you kids talking so you can get a clearer picture of their world. If any scolding or punishment is involved, you're pretty much holding a one way ticket out of their world for quite some time.

Second, a long silence is OK. Whatever you do, don't jump in with a possible answer for you kids. Let them think! If you haven't heard a peep after five minutes or so, ask the question again. If you child is still mum, either let it go or tell them how you would answer the question for yourself.