Tonight with your 9 to 12 year old

The prompt

“How do you think chores get split up in this house, does it feel about even to you?”

What to listen for

If they give a fair, thought-out answer, even if it includes some complaints, they're developing a real sense of fairness and feel comfortable voicing it honestly.

If they get worked up about it feeling unequal, they need to know their sense of fairness is being heard, even if the chore split doesn't change tonight, being listened to matters more than winning.

If they say it's fine and don't elaborate, that might genuinely be true, or they might not want to rock the boat, either way, thank them for the honesty.

What this tells you

This shows you how strongly they need to feel treated equally within the family, and how comfortable they are saying so.