Tonight with your 9 to 12 year old
The prompt
“Has a friend ever let you down in a way that really stuck with you?”
What to listen for
If they share it openly, that's them trusting you to hold something tender without immediately trying to fix the friendship or tell them how to feel about it.
If they still sound hurt telling it, resist jumping to 'well maybe they didn't mean it', validating the hurt first is what actually helps them process and move past it.
If they say no one's ever let them down, that could be true, or it could mean disappointment in friends feels disloyal to admit, let them know it's normal and doesn't mean the friendship is over.
What this tells you
This shows you where your child has learned that people, even good friends, can still disappoint them sometimes.