Understanding each other

导读：家长问孩子学校的学习情况时要注重提问的艺术性，最好采用孩子乐于回答、家长也能达到提问目的的方式，这样才能一举两得。

So why don’t our kids want to tell us about their days at school？ And why do we think we need to know every detail？ And how can we become more effective listeners？ To find out， take a look at the situation from your child’s view and compare it to your own.

“How was school？” and “how are you？” are not really questions ― they’re greetings. A problem comes into being because we expect an answer. But the question is so general that it’s difficult for kids to answer. “What parents are trying to do when they ask ‘how was school？’ is to have a talk with their child，” explains Michael Thompson， Ph.D. But we don’t realize that the question “how was school” may not be the most effective way to connect.

Kids often think adults ask too many questions.“And they are right，” adds Thompson， “we do. Adults are often just trying to start a conversation and don’t understand that their questions make a child feel diffidult to answer. Be aware that a question from a big person like you can place demands on a small child， even though you don’t mean it that way.” “It’s important to also be clear why you are asking children about school. Is it merely a chat， are you looking for something more meaningful， and are you communicating in ways that relate to your child’s experience？” notes Diane Levin， Ph.D.

School can be hard for kids and that’s why it’s hard for them to talk about it. Every day at school， kids get things wrong and make mistakes. That’s how they learn. But generally， kids don’t want to come home and say， “I was frustrated by my mistakes but I learned from them.” They would rather come home and say， “I got everything right.” Their feelings about meeting the expectations of their teachers， their parents， and themselves can make school a challenging topic to discuss.

So ― should we stop asking questions？ No. But you might ask fewer ones and try not to get crazy when your kids don’t answer the way you want them to. Remember that if your kids don’t want to talk， it’s not a rude action to you. When you do speak， try to find ways to discuss what’s meaningful to both your child and you， because this shows that you care.