The Conversation Game

I am a mother of four children and I have been interrupted. A lot. Today. Well, perhaps that is an overdramatization of the situation, but, the fact is that my children did not come pre-programed to listen. They came pre-programed to talk and be noticed, and they feel compelled to share little gems of childhood insight, wisdom, and humor as they arrive. While this is both endearing and insightful on many levels, this compulsion seems to override any natural tendency to listen, which is frustrating, especially at dinnertime. We keep working on it and I thought I would share one of our latest attempts, which was actually pretty successful. Let me know if you try it!

The Conversation Game

Rules:

• Each individual at the table shares something while everyone else listens. This could be something he or she experienced that day, something imagined or thought out, or something entirely random and silly.
• After everyone has shared, go around the table and have each person list one thing he or she remembers another person saying. Keep going around as long as people can remember anything, but only say one thing at a time or the people on the other end of the table will be left without anything to remember.
• A point is earned for each thing that is remembered. A point is lost for each time an interruption happens, including in the initial sharing time, which means you can start with a point deficit.
• When 100 points are accumulated, the family does something together that they enjoy doing, such as going to get ice cream or taking a hike.