One of the things I miss most now that my kids are both grown is the houseful of teens that always filled my life. I think they're wonderful people, if you give them the slightest bit of attention and respect. Sadly, many of them lack even these basic necessities. Partly due, I believe, to this rigid stereotyping we have of kids not wanting anything to do with adults -- and I think the examples above prove that this simply isn't the case. Most of them are starved for adult care, but they have B.S. detectors out-to-there, so they tend to give adults who are phony or who are full of reformist zeal a pretty wide berth (so do I!). My son always amazed me with this parade of kids he brought through, each one more outrageously attired than the last. I think it was his way of saying, "How about this one, the one with the purple hair in spikes and the pin through his eyebrow? You gonna accept HIM, too?" And I just kept talking to these kids through their fashion statements, and was constantly amazed at how much they had to contribute -- wild 'dos and all.

kc