I'm awkward around kids, that's no secret. But I do attempt to make friends with them (if I'm around them for more than a few minutes) by striking up a conversation. I ask about their favorite color, the cartoons they like, their favorite thing to do at school. And generally, I get nothing out of them. So last time I was around our niece, Rebecca, I tried something new. I rambled like nobody's business.

It went something like this: "So what cartoons do you like?" Silence. "When I was your age, I liked Bugs Bunny. You know, I heard a lot of classical music on Looney Tunes, like that song, The Blue Danube. Sooo...What's your favorite color?" Silence. "Mine's light blue. I used to love silver, but it's blue now. Not navy, because that's too dark and I'm pale, and when I wear dark colors I look like a ghost." More silence. "I think I'll draw something now. How about a flower?" Silence. "You look like you like flowers. I'll draw a red one. And here's a lady bug..."
Finally, she piped up, "Daddy hates bugs." "Well, daddy won't like my picture then. Look, it has antennae."

I try to talk to kids like they're adults, because when I was little I hated when adults talked to me in a different pitch and overexaggerated their facial expressions. So what about you? How do you fool kids into thinking you're a fun person?