Tonight with your 13 to 17 year old
The prompt
“What does it feel like in your body right before something you've been really looking forward to finally happens?”
What to listen for
A vivid physical description, stomach flips, can't sit still, can't stop smiling, shows they're comfortable tuning into their own excitement and letting themselves feel it fully, which is a good sign for how they experience joy in general.
If they mention the excitement mixing with nerves, that's completely normal and worth naming gently, big anticipation and worry often travel together.
If nothing comes to mind, it might be that they don't let themselves get too excited about things yet, maybe to avoid disappointment, that's worth noticing softly, not fixing tonight.
What this tells you
How they describe pre-excitement shows how safe they feel wanting something openly, without guarding against being let down.