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Old 02-07-2002, 10:39 PM   #22
Cerek the Barbaric
Ma'at - Goddess of Truth & Justice
 

Join Date: October 29, 2001
Location: North Carolina
Age: 60
Posts: 3,257
My sixth grade Science teacher had a wonderful saying:

"One morning, you will wake up and realize just HOW MUCH your parents really know".

I was 17 when it happened for me.

AFA the rebellious attitude, it's all part of establishing an identity. Teenagers are just realizing how valuable they are as an individual rather than as "So and so's kid". Their thought processes (and social skills) become more sophisticated and they begin to understand that they are "their own person". Religion, Life, Politics, Government, and Society used to just be "grown-up topics", but now they actually start to make sense...and the teenager realizes they are knowledgeable enough to form opinions about them. Even better, they now learn that their opinion is important to others.

The one area that they aren't developed in is Wisdom. Except in very rare cases, Wisdom is only gained through experience, and teenagers are just starting to really "experience" life. There are LOTS of things I would do differently (or not do at all) if I had a chance to go back in time but retain my current level of knowledge. It's no surprise that AD&D allows a characters' Wisdom to increase as the character ages...it is a natural progression. When I first started playing AD&D, a friend was explaining the different abilities my character had. I couldn't figure out any real difference between Intelligence and Wisdom. They seemed like flip-sides of the same coin (and - in a way - they are). He came up with a great answer that cleared it up.

"Intelligence is the ability to come up with an idea. Wisdom is the ability to determine if it is a GOOD idea."

I came up with a LOT of ideas when I was a teenager, but when I acted on them, I discovered some of them WEREN'T very good ones. (Example: Ben Gay/Muscle Rub/Tiger Balm/etc are wonderful products for easing muscle pain....BUT NOT FOR GROIN MUSCLES!!!....yes, I actually did that - ONCE!).

Magik, just treat you're son they way you would one of us...with respect...but let him know you expect him to do the same for you. It won't eliminate all the "bumps" in the road you're on now, but it might smooth some of them over.


Oh yeah, AFA teenagers that have invented something that had an impact on society.....

Have any of you heard of this fella named Bill Gates?
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