It seems that when our children are young the conversation during meals is non-stop. “Mommy, guess what I saw today? Guess mommy, guess. Hurry up!” or “Daddy, guess what John did at school that made the teacher send him to the principal.” There are evenings when we long for just a few moments of silence after a long day of driving, washing, soccer, diapers, homework, tantrums, you name it.
And then puberty sets in. Raise your hand if you have ever sent a sweet, loving child upstairs to bed one night only to discover the next morning that a pre-pubescent alien has invaded their body. Suddenly the quiet we dreamed about just a few years before has become a reality.
Along with their irrational tears, sudden urgency for privacy, acne, and the odd habit of rolling their eyes at the same time you open your mouth to speak, there is the sudden lack of a coherent vocabulary. Inexplicably that once loquacious child you used to play the “Let’s see how long we can be quiet” game with, has reverted to the guttural grunts of a bear cub. A mime would be easier to understand.
What’s the mother of an alien to do?
One thing we did was have a “Conversation Jar.” Just type up odd sentences where one would need to fill in the blanks. Fold them and put them in some kind of a jar with a lid. At dinner, everyone can take turns picking a paper and reading the sentence. Some suggestions we have are:
What famous person would you like to have to dinner?
If you could get on an airplane right now, where would you go?
What was your favorite present?
What food would you never want to eat—a la Fear Factor?
What super power would you like to have?
If you could have a new first name, what would it be?
What animal would you like to be?
If you could do anything tomorrow, what would you do?
What would you miss if you could no longer live in America?
If you could go to a developing country and work, where would you go and what would you do?
What is your favorite word?
Your favorite smell?
We can’t promise that someone won’t roll their eyes when they hear the question, just don’t roll yours when you hear the response!
