No! You are not in trouble for coming to court.
You are not in trouble for talking about what happened, either.
The adults in court are trying to understand the truth about what happened. The court needs your help to do that.
You did not cause what happened, and you are not responsible for what adults decide.
The most important thing is to tell the truth.
You do not have to memorize anything.
You do not have to remember every detail.
You do not have to guess.
Just tell people what you remember when asked.
You can say:
“I don’t know.”
“I don’t remember.”
“I don’t understand the question.”
“Can you say that another way?”
“Can you repeat that?”
Those are honest answers, and honest answers are always okay.
It is okay to say:
“I’m not sure.”
“I think…”
“That’s what I remember.”
You do not need to pretend to know something if you don’t.
Many people feel nervous in court.
Some people feel worried.
Some people feel angry.
Some people feel sad.
Some people feel all of those feelings at the same time.
Lots of people are probably feeling the same way. That is normal and okay.
Remember
You do not need to have perfect answers.
You do not need to fix anything.
You do not need to make decisions for the court.
The adults will take care of the rest.
