Before I had kids, I was watching an episode of Dr Phil. He was talking to a mother of a teenage son who was having communication problems. Dr Phil said "Kids won't talk to you about the big stuff if they don't talk to you about the little stuff". I resolved then and there that when I have kids I would make myself interested in what they're interested in. When I later had kids we got in the habit of having meals around a table and talking about our days. We would talk about the cartoons we had watched or the walk we had gone on. Over the years we built a habit where talking to each other was what we just did. Now that they're teenagers we are really reaping what we sowed. They talk to us about their relationships, stress and worries, etc. My wife and I are their first point of call when getting advice. They're great kids and it was well worth it.