Now that we are all “sheltering in place” from the coronavirus, you have already spent what seems like a million years trapped in your house with your mother/father/sister/brother/dog/cat/bird. You know everything there is to know about each other--possibly more than you ever wanted to know.
You may find yourself eating breakfast early and dinner late to avoid yet another family meal and answering the three-hundredth, completely self-evident “what did you do today?” question. When you seek out quiet corners of the house, you may find someone else already there. You may even have to hide the fact that, yes, you have binge-watched entire seasons of tv shows in a day; yes, you are still wearing your pajama bottoms and yes, you did finish the Cherry Garcia ice cream.
To spice up that one-thousandth conversation you’ve had with them in the last three weeks and to amuse yourself at the same time, here are some fun questions to ask:
If you had to delete all but three apps from your phone, which ones would you keep, and why? And since when is staring at “news” apps not “screen time?”
What is your absolute dream job, and what’s holding you back?
What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever been given? What’s the worst?
The zombie apocalypse is coming, so who are three people you want on your team? And if you had to sacrifice one of them first….?
What was the worst style choice you ever made? Can I see the photos?
Who was your childhood actor/actress crush? Do the person’s films stand the test of time?
If you had your own late night talk show, whom (alive or dead, real or fictional) would you invite as your first guest? What would you ask him or her?
If you had to eat one meal every day for the rest of your life, what would it be? Hint: It doesn’t have to be something we already have been eating for what seems like every day of our lives.
What’s your favorite sandwich, and why? Are poptarts sandwiches? Is a hotdog a taco? Is cereal a soup?
If you were a superhero, what would your name be? What powers would you have?
What's the most ridiculous fact you know? How do you know it’s a “fact?”
What are your silliest “talents”?
Does pineapple belong on pizza?
If you were arrested with no explanation, what would your friends and family assume you had done? And have you ever actually done that?
What is the best excuse for being late you’ve heard or used? What’s the worst?
What’s your most unpopular food opinion?
What’s the worst date you've ever been on? Does Mom/Dad know?
What are some interesting alternatives to war that countries could use to settle their differences?
What is the weirdest conspiracy theory you know/have heard/actually believe?
If coffee were an illegal drug, what would its street name be? What about chocolate? What would you risk to get to the chocolate?
And don’t put too much pressure on your family members--especially the ones hiding out in the quiet corners of the house or furtively eating ice cream straight from the container. If these questions don’t inspire some lively conversation, you can always try again tomorrow. We’re in this for a while. Sigh.