I pick my 10-year-old up from school the other day and we’re driving home.  

And I’m kind of firing all these questions at him because I figured when you just say, “how was your day?”, all I get is “good”. 

Or “what did you do today?”, “not much.” 

So I figured that that’s not the way to find out about a 10 year old and what he’s been doing.  

So I ask questions and I say, you know, “what was your favorite part of the day?”  

Or “what did you learn (not just limited to the classroom), but what did you learn even on the playground?”  

“What sport did you do today when you had PE?” 

Or “what’s one thing that you know now, when I’m picking you up, that you didn’t know this morning?”  

Now, you’re probably some of you are laughing and going, wow, that’s really intense.  

And my little 10-year-old, said the same thing, it’s like, “whoa, you need to back down.”  

And he said to me, “why do you ask so many questions?”  

And I said, “because how else do I find out about what’s going on in your life?  

How else do I find out about what you’re enjoying, or who you’re hanging out with, or what you like learning at the moment?”  

How else do I find out if I don’t ask you questions? 

Because I realise that that one simple question about “how was your day”, it doesn’t work!  

And it’s such an interesting concept.  

Because we too often ask these open-ended, broad questions, literally, like “how was your day today?” and then we wonder why we don’t really get a satisfactory or juicy answer.  

So fast forward, I’m driving home from school the other day, and he was going along answering my questions.  

And I said to him, (because he was having a go at me again) and I said, “what would life be like, though if we didn’t ask questions?”  

And he turned around and he said, “pretty plain.”  

And I thought, yes, you nailed it. 

Life would be pretty plain if we didn’t ask questions, and you would get the whole “yeh, good or “yeh, nothing”.  

So where could you ask more questions?  

Where could you change your line of questioning to get a more juicy answer or a response that doesn’t come under the category of plain.  

Anyway, quite wise little words from such a young little 10 year old mind.  

I thought it was really useful. See what you can do with it too. 

Because after all, You are Valuable!