family

Reflecting on a conversation with a young person I work with:
Their parent told me, "They don’t talk—good luck trying to get anything out of them."

When I pick them up, the first thing I always do is introduce them to my family. This is my favourite family picture—it's the first time in 10 years we've had all our kids under one roof, as our two oldest live in Japan. I explained that it was taken in January this year.

My young person replied, "You have the perfect family."

I said, "There’s no such thing as a perfect family—we just work hard at caring for one another."

As we continued our drive to their course, I shared more about my family story—how my wife and I met at high school, grew up in Porirua, Wellington, and the challenges we faced back in my era. I talked about what my kids are up to and the things they’re passionate about.

They asked me, "Why do you work with young people like me?"

I replied, "Every young person deserves to be cared for."

Their response: "Are you for real?"

I said, "Yes—and I get paid to care!"

We both laughed, and they said, "I want your job!"

As I kept driving, they started opening up more—sharing about their life and the things they find challenging. Before we knew it, we had arrived at their course.
I said, "For someone who’s shy and doesn’t say much, you sure talked a lot!"
We both cracked up laughing.

As I prepared to leave, they mentioned they were early and asked if I’d like a coffee before I went. I explained, "I don’t do instant coffee—I’m a bit of a coffee snob—but a strong black tea would do."
More laughs from them.

Then they said, "Same time next week, bro?"
My reply: "Yup, I got you."

“When we invite others into our stories, it's amazing how it opens the door for them to share theirs”.😊