Tonight with your 9 to 12 year old
The prompt
“What was the last argument you had with your sibling actually about, underneath it all?”
What to listen for
If they can name the real issue beneath the surface fight, that shows real reflective skill, most sibling arguments are about something smaller than they look, like feeling ignored or compared.
If they focus only on who started it or who was more wrong, that's very normal for this age, gently ask what they think the sibling was actually upset about.
If they say they don't remember or don't want to talk about it, don't force it, offer to revisit it once things have cooled down more.
What this tells you
This shows whether they're starting to see conflict as more layered than just who's right and who's wrong.