Tracy, a first grader, was having trouble adjusting to school. I called her into my office for a chat, confident that my many years of training as a guidance counselor had more than prepared me to handle the situation. “Tracy,” I said, “I want to be your friend. I will never tell your mummy or daddy or your teacher anything we talk about if you don’t want me to. I want you to know that you can always trust m.”

With tearful eyes, she looked up and replied, “Gee, Mrs. Edwards, you are just like my dog.”

— Cited in “Encounter” magazine, September 2002, ACTS International, Australia