It was one of these moments in life where you realize, "Oh… this is how my parents felt when I was the kid." This post is going to be a little more personal for me because, well, frankly, we’ve been going through some heavy changes in the Papola household.
This is a really solid list, and we've done a pretty good job with our 14- and 16-year-olds. I'll challenge #9 - 'You are capable of taking care of yourself.' That may seem reasonable in the Western world in 2025, but throughout history, humans were much more interdependent, and much has been written about how unhealthy it is that our material wealth affords us extreme independence.
Thanks, Emma. I agree with the pushback on atomic independence. Being alone is generally fragile and miserable. But, there is a certain core of independence and resilience that you must have to fully be an adult, and especially as a man (in general). But again, atomization has not been good for us. No question.
This is a really solid list, and we've done a pretty good job with our 14- and 16-year-olds. I'll challenge #9 - 'You are capable of taking care of yourself.' That may seem reasonable in the Western world in 2025, but throughout history, humans were much more interdependent, and much has been written about how unhealthy it is that our material wealth affords us extreme independence.
Thanks, Emma. I agree with the pushback on atomic independence. Being alone is generally fragile and miserable. But, there is a certain core of independence and resilience that you must have to fully be an adult, and especially as a man (in general). But again, atomization has not been good for us. No question.