---
title: "A Memorable Dinner with Teenagers | Dr. Harley Rotbart Blog"
description: "My recent post for Parents Magazine told the story of a remarkable dinner with a group of teenagers who showed maturity beyond their years. Their responses to a provocative discussion question give us some useful lessons in how to get…"
lang: en
json-ld: |
  {
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@type": "BlogPosting",
    "headline": "A Memorable Dinner with Teenagers",
    "description": "My recent post for Parents Magazine told the story of a remarkable dinner with a group of teenagers who showed maturity beyond their years. Their responses to a provocative discussion question give us some useful lessons in how to get…",
    "articleBody": "My recent post for Parents Magazine told the story of a remarkable dinner with a group of teenagers who showed maturity beyond their years. Their responses to a provocative discussion question give us some useful lessons in how to get our kids to stop making excuses. The question they were asked:\n\nImagine you are an astronaut on the space shuttle and suddenly there’s a terrible mechanical malfunction. Your craft begins drifting out into space, never to return. You have two minutes left for a final message your children. What would you tell them?”\n\nTo see the kids’ answers, and share my 3 lessons to teach your own children, click here",
    "datePublished": "2016-10-16",
    "dateModified": "2016-10-16",
    "author": {
      "@type": "Person",
      "name": "Dr. Harley Rotbart",
      "url": "https://harleyrotbart.com",
      "jobTitle": "Pediatrician, Author, Parenting Expert"
    },
    "publisher": {
      "@type": "Person",
      "name": "Dr. Harley Rotbart",
      "url": "https://harleyrotbart.com"
    },
    "mainEntityOfPage": {
      "@type": "WebPage",
      "@id": "https://harleyrotbart.com/blog/memorable-dinner-teenagers"
    },
    "wordCount": 105,
    "timeRequired": "PT1M",
    "articleSection": "life-lessons"
  }
---

[Harley Rotbart, M.D. Author • Pediatrician • Grandfather ](/)

[Books](/books)

[Blog](/blog)[About](/about)

[Contact](/#contact)

[Back to Blog](/blog)life lessons 

# A Memorable Dinner with Teenagers

October 16, 2016 1 min read 

My recent post for Parents Magazine told the story of a remarkable dinner with a group of teenagers who showed maturity beyond their years. Their responses to a provocative discussion question give us some useful lessons in how to get our kids to stop making excuses. The question they were asked:

Imagine you are an astronaut on the space shuttle and suddenly there’s a terrible mechanical malfunction. Your craft begins drifting out into space, never to return. You have two minutes left for a final message your children. What would you tell them?”

To see the kids’ answers, and share my 3 lessons to teach your own children, click here

Share this post: 

[](https://www.facebook.com/sharer/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fharleyrotbart.com%2Fblog%2Fmemorable-dinner-teenagers)[](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?url=https%3A%2F%2Fharleyrotbart.com%2Fblog%2Fmemorable-dinner-teenagers&text=A%20Memorable%20Dinner%20with%20Teenagers)[](https://www.linkedin.com/shareArticle?mini=true&url=https%3A%2F%2Fharleyrotbart.com%2Fblog%2Fmemorable-dinner-teenagers&title=A%20Memorable%20Dinner%20with%20Teenagers)

HR

### Dr. Harley Rotbart, M.D.

Nationally-renowned pediatrician, parenting expert, and bestselling author helping families thrive for over 38 years.

[Learn More About Dr. Rotbart](/#about)

[Previous Post 

#### Parents Magazine’s review of “Miracles We Have Seen”

](/blog/parents-magazines-review-miracles-seen)[Next Post 

#### What a New Grandfather Advises Young Dads

](/blog/new-grandfather-advises-young-dads)

Harley Rotbart, M.D. 

Nationally-renowned pediatrician, parenting expert, and author. An archive of his books, essays, and writing.

[](https://www.facebook.com/harleyrotbartmd/)[](https://www.linkedin.com/in/harley-rotbart-m-d-4817a66/)[](https://www.harleyrotbart.com/youtube-features/)

#### Explore

-   [About](/about)
-   [Books](/books)
-   [Blog](/blog)
-   [Contact](/#contact)

#### Books

-   [The Countdown](/books/the-countdown)
-   [101 Lessons From The Dugout](/books/101-lessons)
-   [No Regrets Parenting](/books/no-regrets-parenting)
-   [No Regrets Living](/books/no-regrets-living)
-   [Miracles We Have Seen](/books/miracles-we-have-seen)

#### Connect

-   [Blog Archive](https://www.harleyrotbart.com/blog/)
-   [Reviews & Appearances](https://www.harleyrotbart.com/reviews/)

© 2026 Harley Rotbart, M.D. All rights reserved.

Parenting Expert • Pediatrician • Author • Educator

Made With [](https://heardmarketing.io)by [HEARD](https://heardmarketing.io)