Interviewing your child

I must have blinked, because at the end of the month we are celebrating my son’s fifth birthday.

One night over dinner, I was asking him what he would like to do for his birthday and what kind of decorations he wanted, what type of cake, etc. He started telling me all about his favorite super heroes and how they have cool gadgets, etc. He opened up so much to the point that he said that he would love cheeseburgers for every meal of his day (hmmm, very interesting … We’ll see about that!).

My son was so excited that I thought it would be fun to interview him. So, I got a notebook and I started asking him random questions in an impromptu kind of way.  He loved it. I loved it. There were so many things I didn’t know about him! Later that night, I started reflecting about how taking the time to ask questions that were just about him seemed to helped him open up — and encouraged his self worth, too. He was reminded that he was something special, and this is very important.

The questions I asked him were about his life “right now” at age five. By the time I type these questions and print them, I’m sure he will have change his mind (since kids do that almost minute-by-minute). My idea was to capture who he is right now.

Here is a list of the questions I asked:

• What is your favorite Color?
• What is your favorite food?
• What is your favorite book?
• What is your favorite snack?
• What is your favorite TV show?
• What is your favorite sport?
• What is your favorite animal?
• What is your favorite thing to do with Mom?
• What is your favorite thing to do with Dad?
• What is your favorite fruit?
• What is your least favorite fruit?
• What is your favorite ice cream flavor?
• What is your favorite vegetable?
• What is your least favorite vegetable?
• What is something you would like to eat all the time?
• Who is your best friend?
• What is your favorite subject in school?
• Who is your favorite teacher?
• What makes you happy?
• What is your favorite toy?
• What is your favorite movie?
• What is your favorite thing to do on the weekends?
• Which is your favorite: breakfast, lunch or dinner?

It is never too late to do this for your child. Don’t wait for their birthday. Spend a few minutes with them to ask these questions, no matter how old they are. This one-on-one will remind them how special they are to you.