Just asking

I came across a website recently. 100 Questions for Parents to Ask Kids. I think it was written to help parents of teenagers who all of a sudden realize they don’t know how to talk to the mutated life form they have living under their roof. You know, the ones that now only slightly resemble their former sweet, talkative and much less moody children?

One hundred questions is a lot of talking. But even if a parent could only get his child to answer yes or no, I think he could still learn a lot about his kids, if he took the time to ask. Not only that, but we parents just might learn a little about ourselves in the process. At least what we appear to be through our children’s eyes.

So I picked ten of what I considered to be the most age appropriate questions for my now four and six year old boys and started asking.

Question 1: Tell me the five best things about you.
Brisco: I like to swim!
I like to play basketball.
I like to do school with Momma.
I like to play outside with Cooper.
I like to color with Momma.
Cooper: I’m taking Brisco to school with me on Friday.
I love my Mom.
I love my dog.
I like the Tinker Toys that Daddy builds.
I like to play baseball.

Question 2: If you could ask me never to serve two vegetables again, which two would you choose?
Brisco: Green Beans. That’s the only one.
Cooper: I don’t know. I like all of them.

Question 3: What kind of things make a person a good friend?
Brisco: Being nice, doing things together, sharing.
Cooper: A person who is kind and special.

Question 4: What are the kind of things that make someone a good parent?
Brisco: Cooking pancakes and sausage, playing catch in the summer, doing school together.
Cooper: Letting me have ice cream! Daddy letting me do anything I want to do.

Question 5: What is the most enjoyable thing you can remember our family doing together?
Brisco: Hiking! And climbing mountains. Driving up the curvy mountain, and it rained, and dad tried to get down, but he slipped and cut his leg. Just a little.
Cooper: When we went to Branson.

Question 6: What is the scariest movie you've ever seen?
Brisco: None!
Cooper: None.

Question 7: What is the grossest thing you can think of?
Brisco: Poop
Cooper: On Indiana Jones when that girl wants stew and it has eyeballs in it.

Question 8: What would you do if you were invisible for a day?
Brisco: (He couldn’t come up with an answer, but his wheels were turning so fast I thought his head might pop off.)
Cooper: Build a house.

Question 9: Who do you think you are most like in our family? Why?
Brisco: Mommy cause you’re my mommy! And Cooper cause he’s my brother! And myself.
Cooper: Daddy. I don’t know why.

Question 10: Who is the best light saber fighter in our family?
Brisco: Mom and Dad. And Cooper says me.
Cooper: Either Daddy or you. Ya’ll need to fight each other; then I’ll know.

(Ok, so I came up with that last one on my own. But some things you never know unless you ask!)

And that’s All in a day’s work!