Tonight with your 9 to 12 year old

The prompt

“Was there ever a moment it really hit you that Mom or Dad was once a kid too, just like you?”

What to listen for

If they light up describing that moment, it usually means they're starting to see parents as full people rather than just rule-makers, which often opens the door to feeling closer and more understood at home.

If they ask a lot of follow-up questions about your childhood right after, that's them wanting more of your actual story, not just facts, but proof that you once felt what they're feeling now.

If they say they've never really thought about it, that's a totally normal answer at this age, you can hand them a small detail from your own childhood to plant the seed.

What this tells you

This tells you whether they're starting to see you as a real person with a past, which shapes how much they'll trust you with their own inner life.