Tonight with your 13 to 17 year old
The prompt
“Is there some part of you that still feels exactly like it did when you were a little kid?”
What to listen for
A warm, easy answer here shows a teen who feels continuity in themselves even as everything else changes fast, that's a comforting kind of identity anchor, and it deserves to be treasured, not gently mocked for being childish.
If they seem surprised by the question, give them a second, sometimes it takes a moment to see themselves across time like that.
If they say nothing feels the same, that's worth taking seriously without alarm, adolescence can feel like a lot of things dissolving at once, and just being asked "what's still you" can be quietly reassuring.
What this tells you
Whatever still feels the same shows you the steady core they're building everything else on top of, and reminds you which parts of them to keep recognizing out loud.