Parenting expert explains why children won’t tell you how their day was

Stay ahead of the curve with our weekly guide to the latest trends, fashion, relationships and more Stay ahead of the curve with our weekly guide to the latest trends, fashion, relationships and more Stay ahead of the curve with our weekly guide to the latest trends, fashion, relationships and more SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. “You pick up your child from school and excitedly ask: ‘How was school today?’ but you get: ‘I don’t know,’ ‘I forgot,’ ‘fine,’” Dr Cohen began the video. “Of course you want to hear they had a great day, but your child just ended a long day full of effort.” According to the parenting expert, the reason that children often give short answers is because, after a child’s long day, that question is “too big” and “too general” for them to be able to respond to. Dr Cohen then went on to share an alternative method that parents can employ to attempt to find out about their child’s day, with the psychologist encouraging parents to instead ask “specific” questions such as: “During snack time, who did you sit next to?” or “Did your teacher say something funny today?” “Help your child breakdown their big experience in a more detailed and balanced way,” she concluded. This is not the first time that Dr Cohen has shared tips for better communicating with children, as a previous TikTok saw the parenting expert encourage parents not to ask kids to “promise” as “children lack foresight, live in the moment and don’t yet understand long term consequences like you do” and are not yet capable of promising.