Friday, March 07, 2008

What Constitutes Growing Up?

I'm still "housecleaning" my computer but somehow that has involved "going through the stacks". Today I found an enigmatic scrap of paper. I think it must be notes I made several years ago to write to my son when he was going through his (very!) painful I-don't-know-what-to-do-I'm-never-going-to-be-able-to-get-married stage...

Or maybe I was just thinking he needed to grow up!

What constitutes growing up?

GOOD DECISION MAKING
- identifying possible sets of action.
- possible sets of outcome.

INDEPENDENT & RATIONAL THINKING
- developing helpful habits.
- providing/protecting - forward thinking & prudence.
- good driver.

"Forward thinking and prudence" is footnoted with "e.g. paying taxes, insurance, complying with the law - not necessarily doing it all yourself, but clearly pass responsibility over to your wife." (And I think his wonderful wife actually does take care of that sort of thing for him. )

I can think of so many people - and not all of them young- that I wish would grow up this way, but it doesn't seem to be the fashion these days. Sigh....

2 comments:

*cq* said...

"grow up this way... ...doesn't seem to be the fashion these days"

what's the fashion these days? growing older with age without growing up?

this will make good conversation for us next time =)

Laurie Elliot said...

My husband calls our (his and mine) generation the eternal high school students.