Tonight with your 5 to 8 year old

The prompt

“What do you do when a friend keeps bugging you and won't stop, even after you've asked once?”

What to listen for

If they describe walking away or getting a grown-up, they already have a plan for protecting their own space, which means they trust that it's okay to say enough.

If they say they just put up with it or don't know what to do, that's a signal they might need you to practice some simple words with them, like "stop, I mean it," so they feel like they're allowed to have a limit.

If they say "I don't know," that's useful too, it means this is new territory for them and a good one to gently role-play together.

What this tells you

Their answer shows whether they already feel entitled to protect their own space or whether they still need you to hand them permission to do it.