As a wee little child, I had a particular affection for a couple of notoriously grumpy old men. I found that when I learned to communicate a bit with them, they had some valuable, and valued, things to say. Of course the kids in my "peer group" thought I was a "little odd" for taking the time to deal with them, and the old grumpies probably thought I was a little strange too - but I got quite a lot from them.

Now that I've reached the age to be one of them, I understand even better how difficult it can be to deal with whiny snot-nosed, self-centered little beggars who think they're the center of the universe and that nobody else matters: - and there seem to be a lot more of them around recently.

I've also noted that the ones most likely then to fault their elders have turned into the grumpiest of old men (and women) now.

John