Tonight with your 9 to 12 year old

The prompt

“Do holidays feel different to you now than when you were little? How?”

What to listen for

If they say yes, listen closely for whether the change feels like a loss (missing the magic of being little) or a gain (enjoying them in a new way, like helping more or understanding jokes now), both are real and worth naming without rushing to fix either feeling. This is often one of the first places kids notice they're growing up, and it can carry surprising nostalgia.

If they say holidays feel the same, that's fine too, not every kid tracks this kind of change consciously yet.

If something wistful comes up, resist jumping straight to reassurance; let the feeling sit for a beat before responding.

What this tells you

This tells you how they're processing growing up itself, what they're gaining and what they quietly miss about being younger.