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BREAK
the
ICE
GET THE CONVERSATION
GOING WITH THESE SIMPLE,
YET TELLING, CONVERSATION
STARTERS:
Who did you sit with at
lunch today?
Tell me about this week’s
girl drama?
If you could change one
thing about school, what
would it be?
If you could be principal for
one day, what would you do?
What’s your favorite thing
about your best friend?
Least favorite?
How did you feel about that
Facebook post?
What’s the one thing you
couldn’t live without?
How did things go with
______ today?
For more conversation
starters, visit
maskmatters.org.
According to
the Partnership
for a Drug-Free
New Jersey, by
spending a small
amount of time
each day talking
to their children,
parents can reduce
their likelihood of
exposure to drugs
and alcohol by
67 percent.
Share Your Story//
Ever have a revealing conversation with your child while in the car? What did you learn about
what goes on in the lives of our children today? How has it affected you as a parent? Share your
experience with parents just like you. Your story—and advice—may appear in a future issue of
MASK The Magazine.
E-mail
editor@maskmatters.org
for information.
Don’t judge or criticize – Parents can
sometimes issue such harsh decrees that
kids at a young age decide it’s best not to
talk about something rather than have to sit
through your diatribes. If you really want to
know what’s on your child’s mind, then avoid
passing judgment and focus instead on why
something seems important to your child.
Ask a child what they think instead of
telling them what you think – You want to
raise a creative and independent thinker,
right? If so, stop telling your child what
he ought to feel or think. You can gently
encourage additional conversation by simply
asking why he feels the way he does or what
would he do in a certain situation. But be
careful not to overdo it when talking with
your child.
Avoid interrogating your child – You may
think you’re just asking
questions out of curiosity,
but a child who is hit with an
endless stream of questions
about what they did,
who acted like what, did
everyone get along, did you
go to the bathroom, etc., is
enough to make anyone shut
down. Practice patience and
let your kids open up on
their terms.
Be a fly on the wall – Ever
notice how your kids think
you’re invisible when you’re
driving them somewhere
in the car? Sometimes, you
can learn more about what
your kids think or feel when
they’re telling their friends
about something. Resist the
temptation to do anything but
listen, and then ask them about things later in a
nonchalant fashion.
Tell stories about yourself growing up –
Kids can relate to you and other adults when
you tell stories about your own childhood
experiences when you were their age.
Talking to kids by telling them about things
like something embarrassing that happened
or the first crush you had helps them to
connect with you and understand that you
might actually know what they are going
through.
SPRING
2011
maskmatters.org
29