Trust is an interesting thing. One of life’s mysteries in the sense that it is easy to recognise but kinda hard to define - not so much the word but the ‘knowing’ whether or not to trust someone. It’s kinda intuitive - which by definition is beyond definition.

I am a youthworker, working in high schools [amongst other places] and I had a recent opportunity that demonstrated trust.

Let me explain - and before I get into the detail - let me tell you that I have randomly changed the names of people to protect their identity, so if you are local to me then - no - you can’t work it out.

I will call him Kevin.

I know Kevin quite well, we have chatted about life, about anger, about his parents, about his girlfriend. In some sense the level of conversation [which continues on MSN most evenings] so I could have argued that Kevin trusted me - and he does.

The way he demonstrated it was a definite first for me - and may well be a last [I am not seeking a repeat opportunity for sure!].

He and 2 friends came into my school office, laughing and joking and asking if I was free and if I had some time for them. My instant response was ‘no - go to class’ as I sensed they were just seeking a place to hide away from doing any school work. It was not so - Kevin had a problem - a deep seated problem - so deep seated he couldn’t deal with it himself and needed a helping hand.

He had sat on a picnic bench, slid along it and acquired a splinter in the body part he was using to sit with. There was NO WAY he wanted his mates to help him - so he asked me. I was honoured - well kind of.

The next few minutes were spent removing unwanted items out of Kevin’s 16 year old buttock - it was not an easy task. A definite sense of trust in me and a steady hand.

When and how did your teen demonstrate their trust in you?