THE ONE WORD RESPONSE

THE ONE WORD RESPONSE


Those of us working with youth know about the one word response. If asked about the school day, the response will be “Fine.” Inquiring if there is homework assigned, we may get a “Yes.” To learn how the test went in a certain class period, an ‘Alright.” will be mumbled. After returning from being with friends and asked what they did, the likely answer will be, “Stuff.” Pressed for more information, we are likely to hear, “I can’t remember.”

When one of our children took a school trip out of state, the chaperone called to say he would make sure our child would call home each day. I could already hear the conversation, or lack thereof, from the mandatory phone call.

“How was the flight?”

“Good.”

“How is the food?”

“Awful.”

“Are you tired?”

“Sorta.”

“Do you have a good roommate?”

“No.”

“What will you be doing today?

“Not sure.”

I am sure you have held similar conversations. I told the chaperone to request that the adolescents talk beyond mono-syllabic replies on their calls home. However, I do not know if this is possible. It is one way how the teens like to push our buttons and give us a few more gray hairs, joining the ever-increasing strands that began to appear as their hormones kicked in.

Recently, I ran into a parent at the post office. I told her it was a delight to have her son over for the cast party at our house. She looked puzzled, not knowing what I was talking about. Though it was a divorce situation and the dad had him that weekend, there were the questions of what he had done over the past couple of days when he returned to her home. He did say, “ Went to somebody’s house.” Now, he knows us well, but our names were not provided. I added that he spent the night, sleeping with the rest of the crew on the floor, all news to her. I said he introduced me to his close friend. The mom asked, “Who is that?” We laughed, saying how we must learn about our own child from someone else.

What is amazing is that the adult never gives up trying to get information, nor does the child ever stop giving us the shortest answers possible. This is what life is about. Keep on questioning. Keep being patient at the answers given. It keeps the spirit alive!