My son says the drive home from football feels like an interview. How do I change our post-match conversation?
Sports"Can I just say it was fine?" my ten-year-old asked from the back seat. I'd asked whether he'd enjoyed the match, which immediately led to why he hadn't tried a pass we practised in the garden.
I thought I was showing interest. Looking back, even a happy answer becomes a follow-up question: who played well, what the coach said, what he would change. He has started putting his headphones on before we leave the car park.
He still asks to go to training and tells his sister funny things that happened there. I don't think he wants me uninvolved. I think he wants a ride home that doesn't require a report.
Would you apologise and let him start the conversation, agree on one question, or ask him what kind of interest he actually likes? I'm worried that saying nothing will feel cold after months of being very involved. But perhaps that's another way of making his match about my response.