Speaker 1: Welcome to Before Breakfast, a production of I Heart Radio.
Speaker 1: Good Morning. This is Laura. Welcome to the Before Breakfast podcast.
Speaker 1: Today's tip is to put some thought into sparking better
Speaker 1: dinner table conversations. You may have been eating dinner with
Speaker 1: the same people every night for the past five months now,
Speaker 1: and that's after spending all day with those same people,
Speaker 1: but that doesn't mean the conversation has to be dull.
Speaker 1: Put a little thought into it and it just might
Speaker 1: not be I know that many of us sit down
Speaker 1: to eat with good intentions of connecting, and then we
Speaker 1: wind up asking some version of what did you do today? Unfortunately,
Speaker 1: if you're like a lot of households, nobody had that
Speaker 1: much different happened today versus the day before, so we
Speaker 1: wind up talking about who is eating their broccoli and
Speaker 1: who isn't. So you might try brainstorming some questions that
Speaker 1: will unearth something different, something you may not have talked
Speaker 1: about so much. For instance, here's this question, how do
Speaker 1: you think you'll be different a year from now? A
Speaker 1: smart alec child might remark that she will be eleven
Speaker 1: instead of ten. But this can lead to a discussion
Speaker 1: of the privileges and responsibilities that come with age, and
Speaker 1: maybe you can talk about the character traits you hope
Speaker 1: to gain or the bad habits you'd like to lose.
Speaker 1: By the time your next birthday rolls around, your children
Speaker 1: might have ideas for you in this category interesting to know?
Speaker 1: Or how about what's the skill you'd like to learn?
Speaker 1: A lot of kids activities have been disrupted these days,
Speaker 1: but as you think about what to add back in,
Speaker 1: it's good to know what people actually value, and you
Speaker 1: and your spouse might come up with some skills or
Speaker 1: hobbies you'd enjoy too. What's your favorite thing to do
Speaker 1: on a Saturday afternoon? This question can reveal some interesting
Speaker 1: differences in a family between those who like to be
Speaker 1: out and about and those whose idea of a good
Speaker 1: time is lazing on the cow much It's a good
Speaker 1: reminder that family members do not inherit the same personalities.
Speaker 1: What's something you haven't done in a long time that
Speaker 1: you really miss This can help you plan your vacation
Speaker 1: schedule for or what you'll prioritize as your neighborhood opens
Speaker 1: back up. If you could spend the day with anyone
Speaker 1: in the world, who would you choose? Or there's this
Speaker 1: question when was your proudest moment. This sparks some interesting
Speaker 1: discussion in my extended family when my mother in law
Speaker 1: talked about earning her m b A when she went
Speaker 1: back to school after having four kids. You might be
Speaker 1: surprised at what your family members mentioned. If you're looking
Speaker 1: for more questions, check out story corps Great Questions List,
Speaker 1: or order a set of question cards like those produced
Speaker 1: by Table Topics. You can ask one when there's a
Speaker 1: lull in the conversation, or you can create some more
Speaker 1: structure by making this a ritual. Write interesting questions on
Speaker 1: slips of paper and put them in a jar. Then
Speaker 1: every night pull out a question or two for everyone
Speaker 1: at the table to answer. Or you could put a
Speaker 1: different question at each person's place. Once everyone gets used
Speaker 1: to the routine, others can contribute questions, including kids of
Speaker 1: all ages. You might be surprised about what the kids ask.
Speaker 1: Memories of childhood pets, for instance, or of school experiences.
Speaker 1: All this can deepen relationships and give you something better
Speaker 1: to talk about than who ate how much of the broccoli?
Speaker 1: If you ask a question that sparks a great dinner
Speaker 1: table conversation, I'd love to hear how it goes. You
Speaker 1: can tell me about it at Before Breakfast podcast at
Speaker 1: I heart media dot com. In the meantime, this is Laura.
Speaker 1: Thanks for listening and here's to making the most of
Speaker 1: our time. Hey, everybody, I'd love to hear from you.
Speaker 1: You can send me your tips, your questions, or anything else.
Speaker 1: Just connect with me on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram at
Speaker 1: Before Breakfast pod that's B the number four, then Breakfast
Speaker 1: p o D. You can also shoot me an email
Speaker 1: at Before Breakfast podcast at i heeart media dot com.
Speaker 1: That Before Breakfast is spelled out with all the letters.
Speaker 1: Thanks so much, I look forward to staying in touch.
Speaker 1: Before Breakfast is a production of I heart Radio. For
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