Research indicates that having regular open dialogue with your children will improve your ability to influence them for good during the teenage years. They feel more comfortable talking about the hard stuff, if talking openly is the norm in the family environment.

Researchers report this is why dinnertime around the table (with the TV off!) is a great indicator of academic and social success in children. Because when sitting around the table (with the TV off!) what better time to shoot the breeze and connect with your family?

You can get your child talking by making it like a game. You can start with the “Sad, Mad, Glad Game.” You ask your child to tell you one thing that made her sad, one thing that made her mad, and one thing that made her glad, during her day. This is a great one for dinnertime.

Another great communication game is the “Two Facts and One Fiction Game.” Tell your children two facts (actual events from your day) and one fiction (one you just made up) and ask them to guess which event is fictional. Then take turns allowing each member of the family to do the same.

Finally, a great idea for getting kids to open up and feel positive, at the start of the day, is to have “Breakfast with Compliments.” Each day, focus on only one family member at the breakfast table, having each family member compliment that one person with at least one genuine compliment. Whether a certain child was the one chosen for the day or not, he will leave for school with a brighter attitude than he might have otherwise.