Invite your teens to have a "meaningful conversation" about their future? Yeah right.

Even if you managed to find the time, a conversation like this is a tough sell. So then how do you get your kids thinking? Teens love to talk about what they love, so why not start there? At most you'll get them thinking about how to turn their interests and passions into opportunities after high school. At the very least you'll have an interesting conversation!

Five Tips to Get Your Teen Thinking

Sure, getting your teens to make an appointment with their school counselors is a good idea, but here are a few other ideas you can do right at home to get them thinking.

Watch what chores don't bore: No teen is going to fess up to "loving" a chore, but go ahead and watch which ones he or she is good at: taking care of little sis, fixing a clogged vacuum, cooking dinner. This will tell you a lot about your teen's natural skills and talents.
Ask their advice: This doesn't have to be advice about something big. It could just be about whether or not the soup needs more salt. Teens love to give their opinions and when you ask them theirs, they are more likely to listen to yours.
Talk to your kids about what interests you: From woodworking to cooking, sharing what you love to do can get them thinking about what they love. And who know, maybe they'll even discover they inherited some of your skills!
See if they'll give "job shadowing" a shot: Got a neighbor, friend, or relative with an interesting job? Maybe they'd be willing to let your teen tag along for a day, or even just a few hours.
Ask open ended questions: Open ended questions are the ones that can't be answered with a YES or NO. For example "What did you like about the movie?" is open ended. "Did you like the movie?" is not. Sure, you still might get a mumble and shoulder shrug, but you improve your chances of an actual conversation with questions that begin with What, Why, Where and How.