Here’s an idea that benefits everyone involved. You and your children entertain guests from whom you learn all sorts of neat stuff, and your guests get a free meal and the fun of showing off their knowledge (don’t we all love to do that?).

Here’s how it works (adjust to your desire):

Set aside an evening each week or month or however often you'd like to invite someone over for the specific purpose of sharing their knowledge or experiences in a certain area. An invitation might read thus:

Dear Mr. Doe,

We recently learned that you served in World War II and saw action at Normandy. We were wondering if you would do us the honor of having dinner with us one evening next week to  share some of your experiences. We’d also be thrilled to see pictures and anything else you might like to share.

Thank you so much for considering our invitation. We’ll be in touch early in the week to see if this is something you’d enjoy and to make any arrangements that would be helpful to you.

Sincerely yours,  The Smithy Family

Of course, if it’s someone you know fairly well, you don’t need to be so formal, but you do want to go out of your way to make the evening something special for them.

Next, do your homework. Study up on the topic of the evening enough so you’re not totally ignorant – but, no matter how much you learn, do not use the evening to show off your knowledge. The limelight belongs to your guest – don’t steal it!

Arrange a room to suit the purpose of the evening. If you think your guest will have pictures, slides, artifacts or memorabilia, be sure there’s a clear table for them. Arrange for a slide projector and screen or a VCR or DVD player, if necesssary. Make sure there is plenty of seating for everyone and that your guest is placed in a prominent and comfortable position.

Prep your children on polite behavior and teach them to listen far more than they talk. Discuss things you might want to ask your guest and ways to word questions. If you have a child who is inclined to dominate such situations, arrange a signal you’ll give to let him or her know it’s time to be quiet. Plan to keep little ones restrained so materials will not be damaged.

When you call your guest to finalize plans, let him or her know that dinner will be relaxed and he won’t have to talk throughout his meal. Talking will take place afterward. Find out what he likes to eat and if he has any dietary restrictions, and arrange your meal accordingly.

The Big Night

Teach each of your children to greet your guest with honor and respect. They might say, “Hi  Mr. Doe. Thank you for coming. May I take your coat?” or “Hello, Mr. Doe. We’re so happy you could visit with us tonight.” Take the opportunity to teach your children some of the finer aspects of being a gracious host.

You might also want to present your guest, after his presentation, a small gift of thanks. Have your children make the presentation. And needless to say (almost), this visit should be followed by written thank you’s.

Should all this formality be expended on people you already know well? You’ll have to decide that, but I think it should. What’s wrong with making people close to you feel special?

Does all hospitality have to take place at home? No! Hospitality can happen anywhere – a restaurant, the park, a nursing home, at church. Be creative! But make it special and stick to the purpose of the meeting – your guest talks, you listen and ask good questions. This is educational hospitality, not a mutual talk-fest.

So, with all that said... who might you invite and what might they share?

Let’s start close to home and branch out.

Grandparents: Family history, personal experiences, particular skills (how about a learn to knit afternoon?), special memories surrounding a holiday, how they got through some tough times, their job history and related experiences, all about the latest technology of their childhood, stories about fascinating people they knew, there’s almost no end to the list.

Aunts, Uncles, Other Relatives: See list above.

Friends: Do you have any friends who have had interesting experiences or do something fascinating for a living? Maybe they have an interesting hobby or they collect something odd (I have a friend who collects toilet paper samples from around the world). Maybe they just know a lot about something and would love to talk about it.

Missionaries: Be prepared to ask about the countries they’ve served in (you might want to have a map or globe handy), if their attitudes changed with the time they served, what was hardest to adjust to, what sort of customs the native peoples had; their funniest, scariest, most rewarding, etc. experiences; what kind of advice they might give a new missionary. Try to think of questions they might not address in a church presentation.

People recently returned from travel abroad, be it tourism or missions trips.

Senior Citizens: Not only are many seniors a wealth of fascinating experiences and stories, many of them are seldom listened to, which is a sad shame. You may have to do a little detective work, but you’re bound to find many interesting ladies and men who would love to share a tale or two. You might even call a nursing home and explain that you’d enjoy visiting with a resident who’s had an interesting life and ask if that might be possible. Contact the resident by phone first and explain what you have in mind, so he or she has time to think and plan a bit.

Business owners or employees at establishments you frequent: I’ve learned some fascinating tidbits in the few minutes it’s taken to check out at the grocery store – one cashier told me about certain customers who come into her store four and five times a day, people who just have nothing else to do. The everyday experiences of run-of-the-mill workers can shed a lot of light on human nature and the world at large. It’s not all about big, flashy or dramatic happenings.

Someone you read about in the local paper: Your newspaper undoubtedly prints stories every week about local folks and their interesting jobs, hobbies and histories, and if you’re like me, you’re always left with a lot of questions. Be brave! Satisfy your curiosity by taking them out to dinner or inviting them over.

Maybe you want to learn about something in particular but can’t find the right person to invite over or out. Try calling places like libraries, churches, professional organizations, senior citizens groups, clubs (Lions, etc.), the chamber of commerce. Look through your Yellow Pages and ads in the newspaper – you’re bound to find someone. Call up and say, “Hi. I’d like to learn more about such-and-such, and I was wondering if you might have a member or know someone who could talk to me.”

A word of caution. Some folks are way too trusting. Even people with fascinating skills or histories can be shady characters. Don’t jeopardize your kids. If you don’t know someone or can’t find a reference, meet in a public place and consider inviting some other families to join you. If you feel any sense of discomfort about an individual, err on the side of caution. There are lots more fish in the sea.

Here’s a list of questions that people like to answer and that also will teach your children social skills and how to take an interest in others:

What’s the funniest thing that ever happened to you in your job?

Has anything scary ever happened to you?

Did you like being a kid?

How did you decide to do _________ ?

Is there one thing in your life that makes you especially proud?

Who is the most interesting person you’ve ever known?

How did you learn to ________ ?

Is there anything you would do different if you had it to do over?

If you could change your profession, what would you do?

What’s the most interesting place you’ve ever been and why?

Now, with this list, start coming up with more questions, but keep them relevant to your guest’s purpose for visiting.

Invite someone over this week, and start a great new tradition!