That's a fair ways off what I actually said. Pairing is fine, long sessions (1 to 3 hours) can be genuinely helpful and good experiences. They are less helpfu

That's a fair ways off what I actually said. Pairing is fine, long sessions (1 to 3 hours) can be genuinely helpful and good experiences. They are less helpful if your colleague requires that session to get anything done. If their answer to the question "Show me what you've got so far?" is "ummmmm" or otherwise blank... time for the link and a pat on the back. If it's "I tried this and it didn't work" or "I have this thing on this branch but I'm stuck" or "This is close but I can't figure out this error" - sure, dig in.