The best talks you’ll ever have with your parents happen in the car, when nobody has to look at anybody.

Hard things are easier to say sideways. Eye contact raises the pressure on every sentence, while sitting shoulder to shoulder with the road ahead gives both people somewhere neutral to put their attention. A car also has a built in ending, so nobody feels trapped in a conversation with no exit. That combination is why the real stuff tends to surface around the second exit.

Engineer one of these on purpose. Offer to drive somewhere with a parent, keep the radio low, and ask one question you would never ask across a table. Then leave room for a long pause instead of filling it.