Tonight with your 13 to 17 year old
The prompt
“How do you think about telling the truth when you know it might actually hurt someone's feelings?”
What to listen for
If they wrestle out loud with the tension between honesty and kindness, that's exactly the kind of nuanced thinking to affirm, they need to know there isn't always one clean right answer, and that's fine.
If they lean hard toward brutal honesty or toward avoiding truth altogether, ask gently what led them there rather than correcting the stance, they need to feel their reasoning is heard before it's challenged.
If they say it depends on the person or situation, that flexibility is maturity, not wishy-washiness, worth naming as a strength.
What this tells you
How they balance truth and kindness shows you the moral compass they're building for handling hard conversations.