Is it good or bad to ask after someone's kids during a coffee chat?

  1. Is it good or bad to ask after someone's kids during a coffee chat?
  2. If someone recently went on maternity leave is it good or bad to ask after their baby during a coffee chat?

On the one hand it seems like a good idea as many parents like talking about their kids more than anything in the world. But I'm not sure if it would be considered "too personal" or not "professional" enough for a coffee chat.

Assume that you know they have kids because you met them briefly at a networking event and during small talk they mentioned they were watching their son/daughter's basketball grand final on the weekend

4 Comments
 
Most Helpful

There's no definite answer here. You have to balance memory and connection with coming off as creepy. If I knew a connection well I'd be more willing to ask about the kids, but for one-time meetings tread carefully.

Personally for the basketball scenario, if it is the day or next day after the kids' event, I would bring it up and ask how it went. If there's more than 4-5 days total between networking/basketball/next meeting, I would not mention the kids unless brought up

In the event of maternity leave I would ask some open ended "how are you, how has everything been" as they invite the parent to bring up their kid. At that point congratulate and ask about the baby.

Array
 

Praesentium quo nemo nihil aut et vitae consequatur. Facilis at nesciunt eum quasi quis consequatur. Amet sunt illo sed quia reiciendis aut non.

Quaerat in aut omnis sit hic tenetur. Qui dolore molestiae illo et. Et numquam explicabo assumenda. Sed voluptas reiciendis aut maxime tempora nemo architecto.

Iusto repellendus suscipit aut excepturi dolor velit. Fugit et ipsam fuga assumenda ullam iusto sit. Aperiam qui corrupti sed itaque repudiandae numquam.

Ab deserunt assumenda nesciunt officiis dolorem esse. Est sit aperiam dolore asperiores odio aut.

Career Advancement Opportunities

August 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.3%
  • Morgan Stanley 08 97.8%
  • Goldman Sachs 02 97.2%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

August 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.4%
  • Evercore No 98.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 01 98.3%
  • Banco Santander 02 97.8%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.2%

Professional Growth Opportunities

August 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 06 98.3%
  • Goldman Sachs 01 97.8%
  • JPMorgan 01 97.2%

Total Avg Compensation

August 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (16) $429
  • Associates (48) $259
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (25) $178
  • Intern/Summer Associate (14) $159
  • 1st Year Analyst (83) $151
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (75) $101
notes
16 IB Interviews Notes

“... there’s no excuse to not take advantage of the resources out there available to you. Best value for your $ are the...”

Leaderboard

1
redever's picture
redever
99.2
2
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
3
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
4
kanon's picture
kanon
99.0
5
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
6
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
7
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
8
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
9
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
10
Mimbs's picture
Mimbs
98.8
success
From 10 rejections to 1 dream investment banking internship

“... I believe it was the single biggest reason why I ended up with an offer...”