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One thing I realized very quickly after my marriage ended<\/a> was\u2026<\/p>\n \u2026that kids don\u2019t always kick off deep conversations during dinner.<\/p>\n On an average weeknight, Toby, Anton and I would sit down at the table, and I would say, \u201cSo, tell me something about your days,\u201d and they would stare into the middle distance or say \u201cNothing really happened,\u201d until I pitched doing a round of rose-bud-thorn<\/a>, to which they\u2019d answer monosyllabically, and then I\u2019d think up another question for the group and\u2026you get the gist.<\/p>\n So, in an attempt to stop playing talk show host at family dinner, I explained to the boys that part of eating a meal with other people \u2014\u00a0along with clearing your dish and thanking the chef \u2014 is engaging in conversation. Part of your role<\/em> is to chat!<\/p>\n To clearly show them what I meant, I suggested we go around the table, and each person could ask someone else a question, listen closely to their answer, and ask a couple follow-ups.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ll start!\u201d said Anton, always up for a challenge. He turned to his brother and paused to think. \u201cUm, Toby\u2026have you met any famous people?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve met three Minor League superstars, but I\u2019ve met zero actors,\u201d Toby told him, earnestly. \u201cI really want to meet Matthew McConaughey, who played Buster Moon in Sing<\/a>. You have to give it to him, he did a great job playing a koala.\u201d<\/p>\n After that, we were off to the races. We all talked about movies, music, and celebrity run-ins, then the school play (Shrek) and stage fright and phobias and bravery, then how much I hate elevators<\/a>. It was amazing, I was pinching myself.<\/p>\n \u201cIf you\u2019re out to dinner with people, I would probably say, what\u2019s your favorite movie?\u201d Toby told me this morning, when I asked for his pro tips<\/a>. \u201cWhat\u2019s your favorite sport? What\u2019s your hobby? Do you know Matthew McConaughey? If you know where someone is from, you can ask them if they like their local sports team. I met a person from Memphis the other day, and I said, are you a Grizzlies fan? When I met Gus, who is Dan Pelosi\u2019s boyfriend<\/a>, he said he was from the Bay Area, so I asked him if he liked the Warriors, and he said yes. So, that was a fun fact.\u201d<\/p>\n Since then, our family dinners have been so much more fun. Of course, there are nights when the boys are taciturn or grouchy or fill-in-the-blank-because-they-are-still-kids-after-all, but mostly they show up ready to kick off a few juicy convos.<\/p>\n Want to come over for dinner? These two will chat you up!!!<\/p>\n Thoughts? What about you? What are your dinner rituals? Or general strategies for interacting with teenagers<\/a>?? Jenny Rosenstrach also come up with six prompts to get kids talking at dinner<\/a>, if you\u2019d like to see.<\/strong><\/p>\n P.S. Nine tips for eating out with kids<\/a>, and Toby and Anton in conversation<\/a>, haha.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/cupofjo.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/anton.jpeg\")
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