How to really engage with someone… guess what, it’s hard work!

With a house of teenagers (17, 14, and 12 – but acts like he is one), my wife and I often find ourselves struggling with ways to really engage with the kids in meaningful ways. Whether it’s competing for time (sports, friends, sleep), fighting for eye contact vs. screen contact, or dealing with the dreaded, one-to-two-word answers, it’s challenging to engage with these humans that we have raised in what we believe is the best way possible. Although I try not to take work home with me (and I do a pretty good job of that – maybe a future blog post), there are a few things that I have learned at the office that have supported this engagement mission at home. There is a lot that I have learned from interacting with my children that I have brought into work to complete this learning loop.