Tag Archives: teenagers

Olympian Babies

BY GARY JOHNSON
Reprinted from Loose Change (TCBMag.com)

Teenagers, a breed unto themselves. We’ve all been “there,” self-absorbed, emotionally flammable—a weird space equipped with steroidal physicality, hormonal monsoons, and magical blinders that make us think we know more than we do. It’s one reason why teenagers shouldn’t be paraded out in public too often. Case in point: McKayla Maroney.

McKayla is 16 years old. In my world, a baby. No question, Ms. Maroney is an incredible physical talent, capable of athletic accomplishments most kids her age are not. Kids sometimes shock us with their acumen. One recalls a 6-year-old Tiger Woods hitting 250-yard drives, or an 8-year-old Michael Jackson dancing his bejeezus off on Ed Sullivan—gifted children capable of pushing the outer limits of performance and skill. In the end, though, they’re still little kids and mostly emotional midgets. Continue reading →

Bring Back the Draft

BY JOHN FEEHERY

His bed-making skills are much more impressive than mine will ever be. He creases his sheets just so.  He could easily get a quarter to bounce high off the finished product. He tried to instill his bed-making skills onto his sons, but somehow, we never were able to follow in his footsteps.

Part of that was because we didn’t really care about making our bed. Part of that was because as teenagers, you are lucky to get to school, let alone worry about making your bed with military precision.

My dad learned a bunch of other things in the Army. He learned how to polish his boots.  He learned all about physical fitness.  He learned about different cultures in America (and in Korea).

He learned some things that he will probably never tell his grandkids, and some things he never told his mother. Continue reading →