Tonight with your 5 to 8 year old
The prompt
“Tell me about a mix-up where nobody was really being mean, it just turned into a misunderstanding.”
What to listen for
If they can untangle the mix-up and see both sides, like "she thought I meant something else," that flexible thinking shows they're learning people aren't out to get them, even when things go sideways.
If they still frame it as someone being wrong, gently ask what the other person might have been thinking, which builds that muscle over time.
If they can't think of one, share a small mix-up of your own first to help jog a memory.
What this tells you
How calmly they explain the mix-up shows how safe they feel assuming good intentions instead of jumping to blame.