Tonight with your 13 to 17 year old

The prompt

“What's an emotion you find hardest to actually put a name to in the moment?”

What to listen for

If they can name a tricky one, like feeling both relieved and sad, or angry that's really hurt underneath, that's real emotional sophistication, and it means they're doing the hard work of understanding themselves rather than just reacting.

If they say everything's hard to name in the moment, that's very common at this age; you can offer that it gets easier with practice, and that you're happy to help them think it through whenever it comes up.

If they say "I don't know," that answer might actually be the most honest one here, some feelings truly resist words, and that's okay to just sit with.

What this tells you

This shows you where their emotional vocabulary still needs support, which is exactly where they may need your help translating feelings into words.