Tonight with your 13 to 17 year old

The prompt

“Is there something you believe pretty strongly that you rarely actually talk about out loud?”

What to listen for

If they share something, notice the topic, it might be about fairness, faith, relationships, or how people should treat each other. The fact that it's rarely spoken often means it's genuinely theirs, not something absorbed just to fit in.

If they seem a little surprised to be saying it out loud, that's a sign this conversation is helping them notice something true about themselves for maybe the first time, which is worth just receiving quietly and warmly.

If they say nothing comes to mind, that's fine, quiet values don't always announce themselves on demand.

What this tells you

This gives you a rare look at a value they hold privately, which often says more about their true character than anything they display publicly.