Yesterday I spoke about sharing information with a concerned mother to help her communicate with her teenage child. I asked her to 'put her cards' on the table.
Next day I attended the second day of the workshop and returned to work that afternoon. I received a telephone call from the same caller. She told me she and her daughter took my advice and spoke honestly and openly about their issue. It turned out the daughter wanted to be part of the group at school and to do this she needed money.
Her mother explained their financial position the family were in and mother and daughter resolved their differences. My heart swelled with pride to know I'd been a small cog in a very large wheel to help this family. I couldn't wait to share my news with Bob at our next class however it would be five weeks before we again attended class.
In the meantime Bob wanted the class to write an assignment (before known as compositions) 'What we learnt from the weekend workshop'. I wrote as I saw it and completed the assignment of 3000 words in no time. The words spilled from my mind like a fountain of knowledge. I let the thoughts run onto the paper telling the story as I wanted to in my own way.
The thought of helping this mother and daughter kept running through my mind. I made a decision. In a group meeting I expressed my plan to the three other detectives. My plan being from that moment onward I would deal personally with all children who 'ran away from home'. Each agreed and were pleased to have me do the job myself.
To carry out my plan I secured an office with no telephone only having a desk and four chairs. The first parent and teenager who presented to me was a mother and her teenage daughter. The mother worked as a nurse and the daughter had 'run away from home' because she didn't want to live with her mother any longer.
I placed the teenager beside me and her mother across the desk to use the desk as a barrier. First the mother gave her version of events and after she told her story, it was the daughter's turn to speak. By having the teenage child sit next to me gave the child a feeling of security to speak her mind.
Again the communication skills Bob had taught us at the weekend workshop came into play. After both parties expressed their frustrations I explained strategies on what I'd learned at the workshop. Both agreed to listen to the other and to be honest in their approach.
Nothing would make me more proud than when I saw both mother and daughter hug and kiss each other almost crying with relief. My throat thickened and I felt a tear in my eye to see the mother and daughter came to a resolution.
Wait until tomorrow when I'll share with you Bob's response.
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