Save me from dinner-time silence

Post date: 2020-12-02 12:46:10

Please suggest some light discussion questions/topics for family dinner conversation.

I live with my parents (in their 60s) and my 94-year-old grandmother. Currently, I am the only member of the family working outside the house, and what with All of the Everything, the three of them are stuck at home all day, bored and slightly depressed. My job does not produce a wealth of fun stories. Family dinner conversation has nearly dried up entirely and it makes the meal interminable. We are normally the kind of people who will happily go down a wikipedia rabbit hole about etymology or histories of common household objects, etc, but right now it's difficult to prime the pump and get that started.

I'd like to compile a list of light-hearted questions or discussion topics that I can drop into the endless silence to spark conversation and lighten the mood. (I would prefer to avoid current events if possible.)

To head off alternate solutions to this problem: Not eating together is not an option - sharing a family meal is extremely important to my dad and the suggestion that maybe it doesn't need to happen every day has historically not gone over well. The idea of reading, listening to something, or watching tv during the meal (either individually or as a group) is also not an option.

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