Tonight with your 13 to 17 year old
The prompt
“If you could rewrite one house rule, which one would it be and why?”
What to listen for
Listen for whether their reasoning is about fairness, trust, or just convenience, a well-argued case usually means they've actually thought about this rule for a while, not just resenting it in the moment.
If the rule they pick surprises you, that's valuable; it might reveal a rule that's outlived its original purpose, or one you never explained the reasoning behind.
If they say "all of them" as a joke, laugh, but also follow up with "okay but if you had to pick just one" to get a real answer without turning it into a negotiation session.
What this tells you
This shows you exactly where they feel the rules and their own growing independence are most out of step right now.