Most modern parents are frustrated that they cannot spend more time with their children. We wonder how we can make the most of the time we do have.

Ellen Mady recently wrote about how she is taking advantage of the time she has with her child. Every evening she asks three questions of her three year old. His answers give her a window into his thoughts, experiences, and feelings. She really listens and responds to what she hears. Her two year old also  listens to these conversations and is beginning to be really interested too. Her three questions:

• What is something that made you smile today?
• What is something that made you cry today?
• What is something that you learned today?

She says, “I want our kids to feel comfortable coming to us later on in their life when they find something challenging, need a shoulder to lean on or just want to share a success. That won’t come out of nowhere. Teaching our children when they are very young that sharing as a family is something good and normal builds a sense of security and trust that will help keep communication pathways open later on.”