FIRST PUBLISHED JAN. 18, 2015
Last week's post revealed that we often engage our granddaughters in meaningful conversations. As I put the summer binder together for 2014, I gleaned from books and the Internet several questions to stimulate their minds. Their answers were often quite revealing, and at times surprising. The answer to the question about what country they would like to visit was among the many that startled us. As you learned in my most recent post, Jain wants to visit Greece because of her interest in mythology and Sofia wants to see France since she fully intends to get married one day beneath the Eiffel Tower. The choice of countries was not as surprising as the reasons. Mythology and marriage! Who knew?
I call this part of my summer binder "Deep Thoughts" and wanted to share with you here some of the more intriguing questions. I do recommend books such as "The Book of Questions" by Gregory Stock and travel games that provide interesting questions (there are many!) from which to create your own list. Be careful, though, as some of the questions in books and games can be mine fields and not age appropriate! Here are some we found most fascinating to discuss:
What would your super power be and what would you do with it?
How do you want to be remembered?
What is one thing you would most like to change about the world?
How will you make the world a better place with your career?
What is the most creative thing you've ever made or done?
Name three things you will NEVER do no matter what.
Think about your favorite book/song/movie. Why did it make you feel so good?
Time travel has just become possible and you want to try it. What time period do you choose and where do you go?
You have an opportunity to build the tree house of your dreams. What will it look like inside and out?
Have you ever been bullied? If yes, how did you handle it?
You've created a formula that will kill all tobacco plants and put an end to smoking, and you're going to make sure that happens. Will anything make you change your mind?
If you and someone else could magically become one another, with whom would you trade?
Are you happy to do something nice for someone else without anyone knowing what you did or that it was you that did it?
If you found change that isn't yours in a soda machine, what would you do with it?
A little aside about those last two questions, if you'll allow me to brag a bit. My father, throughout his life, has done many things for others without desire for recognition. He is an amazing, loving and remarkable father, grandfather and great-grandfather who has instilled in each of us the desire to live the Golden Rule. As to the last question, when our son was young and did, indeed, find change in a soda machine, he walked back into the grocery store and said to a cashier, "I found these coins in the soda machine outside." She looked at him, not quite believing what she was hearing, and said, "Well, honey, you can keep it. That money is not ours." Seth looked at her, plunked down the coins and said, "Well, it's not mine, either." How's that for honesty? We were so proud of him!
The list of questions is endless! What makes this even more fun is when the children turn around and ask the adults the same questions. Look out! Be ready for it because curious minds want to know what you're thinking, too! The beauty of it is you will learn so much about one another that your relationship with your children and grandchildren will be so much deeper. Here's wishing all of you Deep Thoughts!
Deep Thoughts
FIRST PUBLISHED JAN. 18, 2015
Last week's post revealed that we often engage our granddaughters in meaningful conversations. As I put the summer binder together for 2014, I gleaned from books and the Internet several questions to stimulate their minds. Their answers were often quite revealing, and at times surprising. The answer to the question about what country they would like to visit was among the many that startled us. As you learned in my most recent post, Jain wants to visit Greece because of her interest in mythology and Sofia wants to see France since she fully intends to get married one day beneath the Eiffel Tower. The choice of countries was not as surprising as the reasons. Mythology and marriage! Who knew?
I call this part of my summer binder "Deep Thoughts" and wanted to share with you here some of the more intriguing questions. I do recommend books such as "The Book of Questions" by Gregory Stock and travel games that provide interesting questions (there are many!) from which to create your own list. Be careful, though, as some of the questions in books and games can be mine fields and not age appropriate! Here are some we found most fascinating to discuss:
What would your super power be and what would you do with it?
How do you want to be remembered?
What is one thing you would most like to change about the world?
How will you make the world a better place with your career?
What is the most creative thing you've ever made or done?
Name three things you will NEVER do no matter what.
Think about your favorite book/song/movie. Why did it make you feel so good?
Time travel has just become possible and you want to try it. What time period do you choose and where do you go?
You have an opportunity to build the tree house of your dreams. What will it look like inside and out?
Have you ever been bullied? If yes, how did you handle it?
You've created a formula that will kill all tobacco plants and put an end to smoking, and you're going to make sure that happens. Will anything make you change your mind?
If you and someone else could magically become one another, with whom would you trade?
Are you happy to do something nice for someone else without anyone knowing what you did or that it was you that did it?
If you found change that isn't yours in a soda machine, what would you do with it?
A little aside about those last two questions, if you'll allow me to brag a bit. My father, throughout his life, has done many things for others without desire for recognition. He is an amazing, loving and remarkable father, grandfather and great-grandfather who has instilled in each of us the desire to live the Golden Rule. As to the last question, when our son was young and did, indeed, find change in a soda machine, he walked back into the grocery store and said to a cashier, "I found these coins in the soda machine outside." She looked at him, not quite believing what she was hearing, and said, "Well, honey, you can keep it. That money is not ours." Seth looked at her, plunked down the coins and said, "Well, it's not mine, either." How's that for honesty? We were so proud of him!
The list of questions is endless! What makes this even more fun is when the children turn around and ask the adults the same questions. Look out! Be ready for it because curious minds want to know what you're thinking, too! The beauty of it is you will learn so much about one another that your relationship with your children and grandchildren will be so much deeper. Here's wishing all of you Deep Thoughts!