Tonight with your 5 to 8 year old

The prompt

“What kind of friend do you try really hard to be, even when it's hard?”

What to listen for

If they describe an active effort, sharing even when they don't want to, including someone left out, staying calm when a friend annoys them, that shows they're already practicing real character, not just being naturally nice. Praise the effort part specifically, since that's the part that took work.

If they describe being a good friend as just "being nice" with no example of difficulty, gently ask for a specific moment, the details often reveal more than the label.

If they say "I don't know," ask what a good friend of THEIRS does, and work backward from there, sometimes it's easier to describe it in someone else first.

What this tells you

The kind of friend they're trying to be shows what they currently value most in how people treat each other.