Tonight with your 9 to 12 year old

The prompt

“When you picture yourself grown up, how do you imagine helping people?”

What to listen for

A specific, heartfelt picture shows they already see themselves as someone with something valuable to give the world, that's a strong seed of purpose worth nurturing.

If their answer connects to something hard they've been through themselves, notice that, kids often want to help with exactly what once hurt them.

If they say they don't know, that's completely fine at this age, ask instead what kind of problem in the world bothers them most, which often points toward the same thing.

What this tells you

This shows what kind of contribution already feels meaningful to them, long before they have to choose a path.