Parents, trained by the cultural zeitgeist to regard conversation with teenage kids as a dangerous minefield of potential misunderstanding, resentment, and hurt feelings, are often afraid to bring up any but the most innocuous, impersonal subjects. That's a shame, because parents want to know—and kids actually want to talk about—how their children regard themselves, what they really care about, what worries them, and how they see the future. These topics, not what they learned in school that day or what they thought of last night's game, are what help kids grow up to be good citizens and compassionate human beings. In this workshop, we'll explore ways to help parents identify opportunities to engage their kids and teens in candid conversations that move beyond platitudes and daily logistics to subjects that actually build character. You'll learn to help them distinguish between family communication habits that sabotage meaningful conversations and those that facilitate them, as well as guide them through any awkward beginning attempts to alter the family's longstanding relational patterns.