Tonight with your 13 to 17 year old
The prompt
“Is there a hobby you have right now that you could actually picture turning into something bigger down the line?”
What to listen for
If they light up describing a path from hobby to something more serious, that excitement deserves real encouragement, even if it seems like a long shot, they need to know big dreams from small hobbies are taken seriously here.
If they seem to want to keep it "just for fun" and not turn it into pressure, respect that fully, they need to know not everything they love has to become a career or a grind.
If they say no, nothing comes to mind, ask what they'd miss most if they had to give up their current hobby, that can reveal how much it already means to them.
What this tells you
Whether they picture a hobby growing into something bigger shows you where their sense of possibility for their own future lives right now.