Tonight with your 9 to 12 year old

The prompt

“How did you end up becoming friends with someone you didn't expect to click with?”

What to listen for

If they can trace the story, an assigned partner, a shared table, a random moment, they're discovering that connection can show up in unplanned places, which builds openness to people who don't seem like an obvious match at first.

If they insist they only click with people just like them, that's worth gently exploring without pushing, ask what almost stopped them from being friends with that person at first.

If they say "I don't know," ask about any friend and how the very first day they met went.

What this tells you

Their answer shows how open they are to connection that doesn't come pre-labeled as a good match.