Tonight with your 9 to 12 year old
The prompt
“Do you think privileges should be earned, or should some just be given because you're getting older?”
What to listen for
If they argue hard for "earned," they may be craving a clear system where effort visibly pays off, they want to feel like their actions matter, not like rules are arbitrary.
If they argue for "just given with age," listen for whether it's really about wanting more trust and independence, not about avoiding effort, those are very different asks and deserve different responses.
Either way, this is a great one to actually negotiate on a little, since being taken seriously in this conversation matters more than which side wins.
What this tells you
Their stance here tells you how they currently think trust and independence should be handed out in this family.