Tonight with your 13 to 17 year old

The prompt

“If time or money weren't a factor, what's a hobby you'd actually want to try?”

What to listen for

An eager, specific answer shows you where their curiosity is alive right now, this is pure wanting, no practical filter, and it deserves to be met with enthusiasm rather than a cost-benefit conversation. Don't immediately pivot to whether it's realistic.

If they mention something surprising or far from what you'd expect, that's them expanding who they think they could be, let that stay open rather than narrowing it back to familiar categories.

If they say they don't know, ask what they'd do with a totally free Saturday instead, sometimes that's an easier door into the same idea.

What this tells you

The hobby they name shows you a piece of who they're becoming outside of school and screens, and where their sense of possibility currently lives.