Tonight with your 9 to 12 year old

The prompt

“Be honest, do you think our screen time rules are actually fair?”

What to listen for

A direct, reasoned answer (even a critical one) shows they trust that disagreeing with you out loud won't backfire on them, that's exactly the kind of honesty worth protecting.

If they say it's fair but then list a specific tweak they'd want, that's the real answer, they're not rejecting the rule, they want a small say in how it works.

If they say 'whatever you say goes' with no real opinion, gently push a little further, it might mean they've learned that pushing back here doesn't get anywhere, which is worth knowing.

What this tells you

This shows you whether your child feels like rules are done to them or something they get a voice in shaping.