Tonight with your 13 to 17 year old
The prompt
“If we owed you an apology for something, how would you want it to actually sound?”
What to listen for
If they describe wanting specifics, acknowledgment, no excuses, follow-through, they expect real accountability from the people they trust most, which shows healthy standards for how they deserve to be treated.
If something specific comes up that they clearly still feel unresolved about, take it seriously rather than getting defensive, this is a real opening to repair something, not just a hypothetical.
A simple "just mean it" is enough of an answer, you don't have to turn this into litigating a past conflict tonight.
What this tells you
How they want an apology to sound shows you what they need to feel truly respected when they've been hurt by you.