Tonight with your 13 to 17 year old

The prompt

“Is there a word people use to describe you that never quite fit right?”

What to listen for

If they have a ready answer, this is a teen actively sorting out who they are versus who people assume they are, that's healthy, and it means they need to feel seen as themselves, not as a label. Just listen; don't try to fix the label for them.

Some teens will laugh it off or say it doesn't bother them, and that's genuine too, not everyone carries this as a weight. Don't assume there's a hidden wound if they seem truly unbothered.

If they go quiet or say they've never thought about it, don't chase it. That's a fine place to leave it for tonight.

What this tells you

The label they push back on tells you exactly where they feel misunderstood, and where they need you to see the real them instead of the shorthand version.