#SmallTalkStruggles #ConversationsWithKids #AdultingQuestions
Have you ever found yourself at a loss for words when talking to kids 🧒 because your default small talk with adults revolves around work 💼? You’re not alone! Many people struggle to switch gears when engaging with children, leading to awkward conversations and missed connections. Let’s dive into this common dilemma and explore ways to bridge the communication gap between adults and kids.
## The Work-Speak Trap
When it comes to chatting with fellow grown-ups, it’s often second nature to ask about careers, projects, and deadlines. After all, work plays a significant role in our lives and serves as a convenient topic for discussion. However, when faced with youngsters, the usual work-centric banter can feel out of place and un-relatable. Kids don’t typically spend their days in office meetings or conference calls, so asking about their career aspirations or job duties may fall flat.
### Real-Life Example:
Imagine you’re at a family gathering, and a curious child approaches you with a big smile. Instead of diving into a conversation about their favorite toys or hobbies, you inadvertently ask, “So, what do you do for a living?” 🤦♂️ The child may respond with a puzzled look or a playful giggle, signaling that you missed the mark.
## Connecting on a Child’s Level
To effectively engage with kids and foster meaningful interactions, it’s essential to shift the focus away from work-related topics. Instead, try to connect with them on a more personal and relatable level. Ask open-ended questions that spark creativity and imagination, such as “What’s the coolest adventure you’ve been on recently?” or “If you could be any animal, which one would you choose?” These prompts invite children to share their unique perspectives and storytelling skills, creating a shared sense of wonder and excitement.
### Tips for Engaging Conversations:
– Use playful and animated facial expressions to convey interest and enthusiasm.
– Incorporate humor and silliness to lighten the mood and encourage laughter.
– Be an active listener by nodding, maintaining eye contact, and responding thoughtfully to their answers.
## Breaking the Ice with Kids
If you find yourself struggling to break free from the work-speak trap, remember that building rapport with children is all about authenticity and genuine interest. Share stories from your own childhood, play along with their imaginative games, and show appreciation for their creativity and individuality. By embracing a childlike sense of wonder and curiosity, you’ll cultivate connections that transcend age barriers and nurture a sense of joy and spontaneity in your interactions.
In conclusion, while it may be tempting to default to work-related questions when talking to kids, remember that there’s a world of playful possibilities waiting to be explored. By shifting your communication style to align with a child’s perspective and interests, you’ll open the door to enriching conversations and lasting memories. So, next time you find yourself in a dialogue with a youngster, leave the work-talk aside and let your inner child shine through! 🌟
Being a kid nowadays is work.
“Hey, kid, fuck management, am I right”
Reminds me of this mitre 10 ad from back in the days:
I’ve also found that kids don’t care as much about the weather. They don’t care if it’s raining or cold, still gonna rip that bicycle to Skylar’s house.
“How’s school?”
The kids’ equivalent. Except more annoying.
You can always talk about pokemon
Chinese people are wondering why that’s a problem.
I don’t small talk with anyone so since kids are small no convo to be had
Hey kid, wanna see a picture of my baby?
that’s just because our society is insane and work is where we spend like 90% of our time so that rich fucks can get a little richer
My siblings love that I talked to their kids as adults. It was a change of pace, the kids found it funny, it lets them know that not everyone talks in weird voices. It’s neat.
I adopted my son when his real dad died at like 2 years old. I have always talked to him like a grown ass man. He’s quick to hide shit from his mother but will straight come to me with his issues. I feel like I’ve made the most out of the “step father” relationship. Dude will say anything to me and I won’t judge him like a real parent will, but also he’s never even been an issue to the point I needed to even yell at him, like maybe once when he was young. Don’t treat kids like they are dumb kids, treat them like they are viable individuals and shit will just work out.
A big part of talking to kids is just acting interested and enthused about what they have to say, at that point you can say practically anything and they will take care of the rest.
i ask them what their favorite dinosaur is, works pretty well, especially cause i can show them my triceratops tattoo
Flip side:
Some people hate small talk because it’s insincere, but have a blast chatting with kids because they talk about things that actually interest them.
Who cares about the weather; dinosaurs looked like big ol chickens!
My go to casual talk to kids follows a pretty rigid format:
1. Probe for hobbies
2. Ask about siblings
3. Ask if they actually like their siblings
4. Talk about hobbies
5. Then we cut the kid open and poke around at their insides.
I work in an operating theatre 😬
Eh, that translates. Just say school instead of work and teachers instead of boss.
Speaking as someone who didn’t have a clue what to do with kids til I had one: I had NO ability to tell how old a kid was or what kind of conversations, jokes or games they’d like. I was only around kids when I was one and I was socially awkward til my late teens so not a greay primer. I also didn’t develop the ability to understand what the hell the really little ones were saying in the first place til I lived with a couple.
lots of other reasons …. I know lots of good parents that don’t necessarily engage with their kids interest and hobbies. They just aren’t small talk people with adults as well. Practical peeps I guess.
Honestly? Go for hobbies and passions.
Most adults don’t have that. Either because they’re too busy with work and family and home maintenance, or because life has beaten it out of them.
Kids though, oh man!
Any of these should do
“What do you think are the major issues facing global logistics at the moment?”
Will pension funds continue to move out of “commercial property?”
” Can art ever be truly radical without being purely offensive?”
” What’s your best pokemon?”
“Do you like movies about gladiators?”
I would ask What’s your favorite dinosaur? But I don’t wanna fight a child
Honestily sometimes kids are easier to talk to. They are much more engaged when you talk about stuff and at least try to ask interesting questions.
Ask the kids the same questions – you’ll probably get a more interesting reply..
Jokes on you i dont know how to talk to kids or adults
I don’t know how to talk to kids because everything I say is dripping with lifeless sarcasm and kids are just not equipped to understand that. They just get confused. Now that I think about it, adults react the same way. Maybe I *should* talk about work.
The work equivelent of work with kids is school.
I don’t know how to talk to kids because I hate kids.
You just gotta ask them about their favorite toy or what dinosaur they like the most.
Dont know how to talk to kids is so annoying, just ask them whats up and youll get a detailed story about that one time when their nose almost exploded and did you now my dad is santa, can i show you my rock collection?
I just try to talk to everyone at roughly the same level. Don’t really like kids (in fact I kinda hate them), but they seem to appreciate being spoken with like an adult/with respect instead of being talked at like I see so many people do. So I stick to that when I am required to deal with children for whatever reason.
Im an adult, but when my mom ever talks to me she almost always just asks about work
Told her multiple times I only go to work because they pay me, so I dont want to talk about anything work related outside work hours
I can’t talk to adults either I don’t talk about work
Talking to kids is easy. Just ask one random question and then act excited about everything they say.
Most PEOPLE don’t know how to talk to other people.
For me it’s all about stories. Good ones, bad ones, funny, serious, heroes, ideas for heroes, teams, pets….
Best questions to ask kids that they like being asked, and that will always get a response.
1. Did anyone at school get in trouble this week?
2. Do any of your classmates cheat in tests? How?
3. How do you play your favourite game?
Sometimes I talk to little kids as if I can’t tell they’re little kids. Like, I ask them how’s work or how are the kids are doing, or how I saw an ad for balding cream in the newspaper the other day.
Some of them think it’s funny.
Child labor is back on the menu in a few states. Soon I’ll be able to ask them about their mining job, or how things are down at the slaughterhouse.
I would totally small talk to a kid about work.
Could be extremely entertaining.
“How was your day at school?”
“Did you have a good day?”
“Are you ok? Or stressed?”
There solved that mystery for you.
Kids are a lot like adults. If you ask them and care about what they say, they will tell you things. Don’t talk down to them because they know more than you think.
I had to relearn how to talk to adults- still struggling- because I was a nanny for too long. I still say potty lol
It’s more that kids really suck at small talk. You ask an adult “how’s work” and they’re practiced enough at talking to strangers to know the kind of things that will keep a conversation going
Kids are nervous to talk to you at all and aren’t practiced at the social clues that they’re supposed to go “It’s going pretty good but that doesn’t mean I’m not counting down the days until summer”, instead they just say “ok”.
So talking to kids takes a tremendous amount of prodding which when you’re talking to an adult is considered rude
“Hey pal, hows school been lately?”
“You do anything cool lately?”
“I bet you can chug that whole bottle”
See! Not that hard… applies to both kids and adults!
I said what’s up to my fresh-baked nephew the day after he was born. His mom gave me such a stank eye