Tonight with your 9 to 12 year old
The prompt
“Was there ever a moment you stood up for someone who was being treated unfairly?”
What to listen for
A confident retelling shows they trust their own sense of right and wrong enough to act on it, even when it might've been socially risky to speak up.
If they describe wanting to say something but not doing it, don't treat that as a failure, ask what held them back, which usually reveals whether it was fear of consequences or just not knowing what to say.
If they can't think of a moment, ask what they'd do if they saw it happen tomorrow, that hypothetical often reveals just as much about their values as a real memory would.
What this tells you
This shows you how your child's sense of fairness moves from an idea into something they're willing to act on.