How many times have you asked your child, “How was your day?” only to get he answer “good” or “fine”?  It’s frustrating, isn’t it?  If you are like me, you really do want to know the content of their day and how things went for them throughout the day.  Give me some details!  So, here are a few ways to get at the real stuff of your child’s days.
 
In our home we play “Highs & Lows” at the dinner table.  We take turns sharing our high point of the day and our low point of the day.  No criticism allowed, but you can ask questions.  Like if my son says, “My high today was when I got home from school,” we might ask what happened that made that time of day so good, or was it just better than the rest of the day.  This sharing usually leads to great discussions and stories, and often we get sidetracked and have to remind ourselves that everyone hasn’t had a turn yet.  You will also get a lot of insight into what drives your child, what motivates them and what truly upsets them.
 
Another way to get at the real content of their day is to have a meal time or bedtime pop quiz.  At meal times, let everyone pick a question to ask the others and take turns answering.  At bed time, you can ask the questions to them, and then let them ask them back to you.
 
Here are some sample questions:

• What did you eat today?
• Who did you talk to the most today?
• Did anything make you mad or sad today?
• Who did you play with today?
• What did you do at recess today?
• What did you learn about yourself today?
• What did you learn about others today?
• Did you learn anything about God today?

After you have inquired and received some info about their day, close with a prayer that shows that you and God care about the content of their daily lives.  Include the highs as things to thank God for, and ask God to help you through the low spots they mentioned.  This will not only be a good prayer time with God, but it will also teach your child that he or she can talk to God about anything, high or low, big or small.