I have an 18 yo daugher and 16 yo son. Their dad and I split when they were 2 and 6 months. They spend about half their time with their dad. I’ve had a steady partner for the past 10 years, but we live separate and he mostly sees them every other weekend. I am quiet by nature. I can carry a conversation with others that can carry a conversation, but I really struggle with those that can’t. Because I’ve parented my kids solo and am quiet by nature, I have really struggled with making conversation with them. Neither gives much in responses and so dinners are usually 10 minutes of strained conversation.
It makes me really sad that my 18 yo doesn’t open up to me about things. Given my personality, I don’t know how to change it. She’ll be off to college in the fall, and I worry that phone conversations will be brief and I won’t really know anything going on in her life. Is there anything I can do this late in the game to develop a closer relationship with her?