Tonight with your 13 to 17 year old
The prompt
“What makes you want to stay up too late having fun even though you know you'll regret it in the morning?”
What to listen for
If they describe a specific kind of connection, deep talks, inside jokes, a group vibe, that's telling you what makes time feel worth losing sleep over; they need that kind of connection recognized as valuable, not just "unproductive."
If it's more about escaping boredom or stress through screens or games, notice that without lecturing, they need curiosity about what they're escaping from, not a rule about bedtime.
If they laugh and say "everything," that's a totally normal teenage answer, no need to dig further unless they want to.
What this tells you
What's worth losing sleep over shows you what currently feels most alive and worth chasing to them.