the alchemy of raising teenagers

[Jonah K]

Re: the alchemy of raising teenagers

<grabs albezia branch to administer whacks>

We have three kids and are middle-class folk. My encouragement is along the lines of a state U, either getting a sports scholarship or walking on to the team and hopefully earning one from their sophomore year, and to do a semester/yr exchange in faraway lands, like Europe or NZ.

KSBE offers "post-high scholarships" to all college and grad students of Hawaiian ancestry. Then there's the scholarships offered by the Ke Ali'i Pauahi Foundation, the Hawai'i Community Foundation, and assorted Hawaiian Civic clubs and other organizations. There's plenty of money out there, so don't let that be a limiting factor in determining where to send your kids to college.

[Composite 2992]

Re: the alchemy of raising teenagers

PM: I recall at the age of 16 I was chomping at the bit to do SOMETHING.

Consider this: in three years she could qualify to load 2000 pound bombs on multimillion dollar aircraft on billion-dollar aircraft carriers. Or be the one flying those same aircraft and dropping those bombs on targets in foreign countries. I've talked to people who had done exactly that back in the 1940's.

All those heroic people who did such amazing things in WWII were about 19 years old. Just three years down the road from your daughter.

And Einstein was 26 when he had the insight to come up with the theory of relativity. Sure, Einstein was a genius, but he was still a relative youngster when he came up with that world-changing concept. That means at the age of 16 he was already contemplating the basics.

Could be she's under-challenged and bored.

At 16 they're getting very close to adulthood. Just past the initial horrendous hormonal changes and starting to learn more about who they are and where they fit into this world.

And always remember: School is just one aspect of life in general. What's probably equally important is the ability to figure out how to learn about what one DOESN'T know. THAT has helped me most in my own humble life. I'm no millionaire. But I'm definitely not unhappy with where I am, and I'm never too worried about how I'll get to where I need to be.

Then again, maybe I'm just an idiot who doesn't know any better....!