Tonight with your 13 to 17 year old
The prompt
“If your best friend had never met me, how would you describe them to me?”
What to listen for
A rich, detailed answer means this friendship is a place where they feel fully known and accepted, that's a big deal, and it shows they have somewhere outside the family where they belong completely. Let them brag about their friend without steering it toward questions about trust or safety.
If the description feels thin or uncertain, it might mean this friendship is newer or more complicated than it looks from outside, and that's fine to just notice quietly.
Don't use this as a chance to vet the friend's suitability, that will make them guard the next answer.
What this tells you
How they describe this friend shows you what they value most in the people they let close, and how much they currently have that kind of belonging in their life.