What if you didn’t ask “How was school?” or “How was work?” Instead, you said, “Tell me about something good that happened to you at school (or work) today?” You’ll get a totally different response. You won’t get the shoulder shrug and “it was okay.” You’ll probably get a look that questions your sanity. LOL If you don’t get an answer, ask again, “C’mon, something good happened today and I want to hear all about it.” You are sending two messages, one, you’re deeply interested in what happened. And, two, you’re willing to listen and and ask follow up question to get a clearer picture of the event. The person sharing will feel good because he/she will be recalling something good in his/her life.