The Questions We Wish They Asked: Guiding the Next Generation Toward Purpose

There are questions that light a spark, and questions that dim it. Too often, the ones we ask young people revolve around what’s safe, predictable, or measurable:

“What do you want to be when you grow up?”

“What college are you going to?”

“How are your grades?”

While well-intentioned, these questions often skim the surface. They invite answers based on external validation, not internal truth.

But what if we asked better questions?

What if we asked questions that invited a young person to explore what moves them, what fuels them, and what kind of world they want to help create?

Why It Matters

Every child, teen, or young adult is carrying an untold story. Some are carrying invisible burdens. Others are carrying dreams too big for their language. And all of them, all of us, need a sense of meaning that extends beyond ourselves.

The world is aching for people who care deeply. People who want something bigger than their own success. Who believe their life can touch others. Who feel that quiet tug toward purpose, even if they can’t name it yet.

As adults, mentors, siblings, teachers, and counselors, it’s not our job to hand young people a blueprint. It’s our job to ask the questions that help them find their own.

Questions That Nurture Purpose

These are not your typical career-day questions. These are invitations to the soul.

• What breaks your heart, and what do you want to do about it?

• What’s something you’ve always felt drawn to, even if you don’t understand why?

• What’s a moment you felt truly alive, and what were you doing?

• If you could help heal one thing in the world, what would it be?

• What do you think your younger self needed to hear? Could you become that voice for someone else?

• What makes you feel connected to something greater than yourself?

• When you imagine a life that feels meaningful, not just successful, what does it look like?

These aren’t questions with one-time answers. They’re portals. They open space for reflection, self-trust, and vision. And in asking them, we remind the young people in our lives that their dreams are valid, their feelings matter, and their presence is part of something much bigger.

For the Adults Who Care

If you’re reading this, you probably remember a time when someone didn’t ask the question you needed most. Maybe you didn’t know how to say what you felt. Maybe you’re still learning.

But now, you have the chance to be the adult who asks better. Who listens with presence. Who doesn’t need to fix or guide with a map, but simply holds the space for someone else to unfold.

We don’t need to raise perfect kids.

We need to raise connected ones.

Ones who believe that who they are, and what they long for, has value.

That’s how we build a generation with purpose.

That’s how we create a world with more depth, more care, and more light.