I'd like to go deeper into what it means to be an adolescent. What it meant for us, and what it seems to mean now. In addition to the major differences we've already mentioned, there appears to be an even greater anxiety about growing up than what we experienced. We longed for, and achieved, a fair degree of independence (aka lack of supervision), which we embraced head-on. We thought nothing of venturing out, taking off, flying without the proverbial net. Our kids, on the other hand, while astonishingly accomplished and motivated, seem to be backing into adulthood. Not that they don't crave autonomy; it's more like the very real hurdles they will have to confront as adults are being put on hold. This is not about individuals but really a reflection of a cultural phenomenon of protracted adolescence. Part of it has to do with us, of course, with our wanting to keep them closer, longer, to hang onto the intensity of the precious, breathtakingly fleeting childhood years. And we do/have to a good extent, and to much good effect. We are in more in tune with our children's lives, and share more with them on a day-to-day (sometimes hour-to-hour) basis, than our parents were with ours.