Tonight with your 13 to 17 year old
The prompt
“What's something about family life you're actually looking forward to once you're the one running the show as an adult?”
What to listen for
If they describe warmth, noise, traditions, or togetherness, they're telling you they've absorbed family as something good worth recreating, they need to know that vision is already valued, not just assumed.
If they mention doing something differently from you, don't take it personally, they need room to imagine their own version of family without it feeling like a rejection of yours.
If they say they haven't thought about it, that's normal at this age, the future can feel far away, and that's fine to leave open rather than press for a tidy answer.
What this tells you
What they're looking forward to reveals what they've quietly decided is worth keeping from how they were raised.