Tonight with your 9 to 12 year old

The prompt

“Has a friendship of yours changed a lot this year, in a good way or a hard way?”

What to listen for

If they can describe the shift with some clarity, they're developing real insight into how relationships evolve, which helps them handle future changes with less fear.

If the change sounds painful and they seem sad describing it, they need you to simply sit with that loss rather than rushing to suggest new friends or silver linings.

If they say no friendships have changed, that's good to know, but also gently mention that friendships naturally shift sometimes, so it won't feel scary if it happens later.

What this tells you

This tells you how they're learning to handle the natural ebb and flow of friendships, which is one of the bigger emotional skills of this age.