It became apparent after Laura’s first week in kindergarten last year that getting her to talk about her day at school was like pulling teeth! I’d expect a 14 year old boy to shrug and grunt when asked “So, how was your day?” but seeing my little 5 year old princess doing the same thing got me thinking. How can I communicate differently and start a conversation about her day? So, I came up with “The Good, The Bad and The Utterly Ridiculous.”

At some point after School each day I ask Laura to tell me about something Good that happened, something Bad that happened and something Utterly Ridiculous that happened in her day. It may be on the walk home from the bus stop, over dinner or just before bed, but she then has to genuinely think back on her day and reflect on what went well, what she found challenging and what was just totally random. (I always use the example of the teacher farting for the Utterly Ridiculous one.)

We started this 12 months ago, Laura’s now in Year One and it’s a very simple habit that’s really stuck with our family. It simply starts conversations and allows us all to share a little piece of our day with each other. The kids really enjoy it and often ask Sean and I what our “Good, Bad and Utterly Ridiculous” is for the day too.

So, if you’re wanting your kids (or your colleagues) to talk more, try starting a conversation about the “Good, Bad and Utterly Ridiculous” and just see where it leads!