If it hasn’t happened to you yet, it will soon enough. The world is full of “ick,” and eventually one of your teens—or perhaps one of your adult leaders—will get some on his or her shoes. You have an idea about what is going on in their life, but you need to ask. You are concerned about this person, but you are afraid that what they tell you will be difficult to hear.

How do we handle people in pain? Whether it is physical or emotional hurt, we can usually tell when someone is not feeling right. Your observation (or another’s who then passed the task onto you) has led to concern and now the hard questions must be asked – by you. What should or shouldn’t you do?