Are we raising children who know what they think?

Are we raising children who can think… or children who just know how to produce an answer?I had a conversation with a teenage girl from one of my groups recently. Bright, thoughtful, very capable. She said to me, completely matter of fact, “I use AI for everything. It helps me know what to think.”And I understand. Of course it does. It’s quick, it’s helpful, it gives you structure, ideas, something to build from. And when everyone else is using it, it makes sense to join in.But adolescence isn’t just about learning more facts. It’s the stage where young people are working out what they think about the world. Questioning it. Disagreeing with it. Trying ideas on. Rejecting them. Changing their minds.That’s the work. And it’s messy. Half-formed thoughts. Strong opinions that don’t quite hold. Contradictions. Uncertainty. Exactly as it should be.But if something steps in too early and fills that space with answers, we risk skipping the process entirely.We end up with young people who can produce good work, say the right thing, sound convincing… But haven’t had the chance to discover what they actually think.What our children will need in the future isn’t just information. It’s the ability to stand in their own thinking. To say, I’m not sure. To question. To see it differently. To change their mind. And that doesn’t come from having everything worked out for them. It comes from being allowed to work things out for themselves. Slowly. Imperfectly. In their own time.So maybe the question isn’t how do we prepare them for the future.It’s… are we giving them the space to become someone who can meet it?Thank you for pausing with me. Take care. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit kimmccabe.substack.com/subscribe