Tonight with your 13 to 17 year old
The prompt
“Is there a version of your future you've thought about but never actually said out loud?”
What to listen for
Notice whether they answer with excitement, hesitation, or embarrassment. Excitement means they feel safe enough to dream freely in front of you, which is a real vote of confidence in this relationship.
Hesitation or a nervous laugh often means the dream feels fragile or unrealistic to them, and they're testing whether you'll take it seriously or brush it off, your job here is just to be curious, not to evaluate how likely it is.
If they say "I don't know" or deflect, that's completely fine, some futures aren't ready to be spoken yet. Let the door stay open rather than prying it.
What this tells you
Whatever they share here reveals what they secretly hope is possible for themselves, and how safe they feel letting you see that hope.