We sit in our comfortable middle-class lives and we look at the parents of juvenile delinquents and tsk-tsk, thinking "why don't those parents do something." When our very own kids are acting out in similar ways, but flying beneath the radar of illegality...just barely.

Many of us as parents, just don't have a clue. When I talk about the hook-ups, and the skip parties, the drug use, and the way the internet and cellphones and technology in general is used to advance all manner of dangerous and illicit behavior among today's children...my peers, my neighbors, my friends, think I must be talking about "those kids" never "our kids." Although, I do my level best to convince them that I am, indeed, talking about our kids, they never believe me. They just nod politely, assure me that they know what is going on with their children in their own homes and move the conversation along.

The reader who talked about her personal experience with the generation gap mentioned how her mother, who was raised during the 50's, was still buying her Barbie dolls when she was a young teenager. I have seen well meaning parents make similar misjudgments, not involving dolls, but other matters based on their own growing up experiences.

The world has changed at warp speed since any of us were teenagers or young adults even. The generation gap is now more of a generation grand canyon, if you ask me. We older parents need to be honest about that. Even I...with all of my so-called exposure and upclose view of the social lives of today's teenagers...recognize that trying to approach my kids lives based on my own growing up experiences will leave me coming up mighty short.

I've been writing that one of the most important things that older people should consider before adopting is whether or not they are physically fit and have the energy to keep up with a young child. Now, I think I am ready to start advocating that older people start doing their own brand of research into what the world is like now for a young person and consider whether or not they have the emotional stamina to negotiate today's...generation gap. It ain't your mother's generation gap. If you think it is, you're fooling yourself.