If kids don't know how to "small talk" they can't make connections. Kids need to learn how to introduce themselves, how to enter a conversation and how to negotiate new friendships.
Ana Homayoun has written a wonderful book: Erasing the Finish Line. It is all about finding success beyond grades and what college you go to.
When I was a kid, my brother and I passed h'ors oeuvres to our parents' friends and had to make "small talk" by greeting the grown up and saying what the h'ors d'oeuvre was, What are you doing to make sure your kids know how to have conversations in new situations and make connections?
What can you do? Make sure your children greet doorman, housekeepers, mailmen, doctors, UPS delivery people, bus drivers and ask how they are. Greet the waiter in a restaurant or the checkout person at Target or the grocery store, ask how their day is.
Call a friend and ask how their day was, ask your teacher how her weekend was- these are all excellent practice opportunities that are available every day. When you leave a play date or a meeting or a class, say have a nice day or thanks for having me. And parents, YOU model this behavior too, especially with teens!
Our job as parents is to give kids skills to go into the job world, the friend world and the relationship world. Are you doing that?
Is your child in a school where they foster these skills too? If not contact :
Wendy Levey Consulting, we've got this, all things education-preschool through highschool.
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