The Internet was out at our house all weekend. I could have gone to one of the many fine wireless access points provided by Personal Telco, but instead I sorted, straightened, read, did laundry, took things to Goodwill and Rerun, and spent Sunday painting a bookshelf the same orange as the front door. (Yes, I used leftover exterior paint for something that will be placed indoors. Fear me!)
I’ve been enjoying Thomas Hine‘s The Rise and Fall of the American Teenager, enough that I’ve put two of his other books on hold, too. Here’s a quote:
Our beliefs about teenagers are deeply contradictory: They should be free to become themselves. They need many years of training and study. They know more about the future than adults do. They know hardly anything at all. They ought to know the value of a dollar. They should be protected from the world of work. They are frail, vulnerable creatures. They are children. They are sex fiends. They are the death of culture. They are the hope of us all.