Tonight with your 13 to 17 year old

The prompt

“Is there someone outside the family who's quietly shaped who you are?”

What to listen for

If a teacher, coach, older friend, or even an online creator comes up, listen for what specifically they picked up from that person, a way of thinking, a piece of advice, just a feeling of being believed in. That's a window into influences you might not otherwise see.

If they seem surprised by their own answer, as if they hadn't thought about it that way before, that's a sign this conversation is genuinely helping them understand themselves better, which is exactly the point.

If nothing comes to mind, that's fine, you can leave it as a question they might notice the answer to later, in the moment it happens.

What this tells you

This tells you who else they trust and learn from, widening your picture of their world beyond just what happens under your roof.