This week we discuss the subject of Youth with someone who is an expert by virtue of being just that – young. Daniel Alberto, 17 and a loyal blastronaut, joins us from his home (also home to vicious barking dogs) and tells us what it’s like to be young. Everyone tends to remember it for all the good parts, but what are the drawbacks to being young? Is youth wasted on the young? And who is Shehu? Find out all this and more at earwolf.com
If you’d like to purchase one of Daniel’s beanies, they can be found here: http://www.facebook.com/danjuliobeanies
This was a really funny episode. I kept waffling back and forth on whether Daniel was a real kid or one of Kyle’s cast-mates from Reno 911, improving a teenaged character. Either way, it was hilarious. His dogs had great timing. Daniel even–somehow–managed to use the word “rape” in a funny way. That was previously thought impossible. But since he applied the word to himself, Daniel seems to have found a comic loophole.
I’m actually a kid Mr_Humidity. Like I mentioned on the podcast, I’m just a little more mature than most youths my demographic. I keep hearing how I am supposedly an improv comic, but I assure you I’m not.
I have two kids (one will be 16 next week), and I push them to get good grades because I want them to get good jobs and move out of the house. I’m sure they feel like they’re being “hassled by the man,” but that’s not it. I want the bathroom (we have only one), the remote, and the kitchen back.
Like I’ve talked about, YOU want them to get good job. I’m sorry, I shouldn’t tell you how to parent, but have you ever asked what they wanted to do? As Robert Fulghum wrote ” Live a balanced life – learn some and drink some and draw some and paint some and sing and dance and play and work everyday some.”
I ask them what they want to do, of course, but my goal in parenting is teaching them how to be responsible for themselves. Right now, their primary responsibility is going to school, then learning how to clean up after themselves. If they decide they want to pursue something creative in life, that’s fine with me…as long as they can pay their bills. They don’t know yet what they want to do when they grow up. That’s a hard question for some adults to answer.
Good luck with your beanies. Charge more!
I understand what you’re addressing, and thank you for the reply. Growing up in a household with a debating family, I’ve learned on my own how to make individual choices that benefit everyone including me. You should teach your kids the importance of individuality and loosen your grip.
That’s the goal. Thanks!
I agree with Susan. Unfortunately for a young person, a parent knows what’s better for their son or daughter. So that means that the young person may feel restricted. But if those parenting decisions prevent trouble down the line, then it’s worth it.
A lot of my beliefs and hang-ups as a teen seem pretty naive in hindsight. (And there’s no way you could have convinced me at the time.) My parents guidance me allowed me to avoid certain obstacles that I would have never seen coming.
Some parents are too overbearing, but I’m sure every teen feels that is the case with their situation.
Disclaimer: I am child-free and in my 40s.
It’s hard for me to hear “loosen your grip” from a kid who can’t even bother to open a door for his mother. Since you didn’t answer why she was mad at you, just hemmed and hawed about it, I can only infer that you were in the wrong and you know it. Common courtesy and selflessness go a long way. Treat your parents with respect and quit acting like you are the only weird kid in school, and therefore more special than anyone else. You came across as insufferable….hopefully that was an incorrect portrayal.
It was, and I don’t play the “fish out of water”. Also, you are making biased statements by implying I’m selfish and the weird kid in school. I know for a fact you don’t open the door for every person you see and say “excuse me” as if you mean it. My mother is not a frail damsel. My mom is a strong, stern woman. YOU have no right to talk about our relationship in such a manner. I wanted to speak professionally; I didn’t want to sound like a punk using derogative terms. It’s not fair of you to write such things, we don’t even KNOW each other. I’m sorry for making a disdained impression, but don’t tell me how to be myself.
Nice reply to a rude statement.