And the beat goes on . . .

It is hard to believe that the 40th anniversary of Woodstock was just this past week. I bet all of those babyboomers are REALLY feeling old now! I shouldn't make fun. After all, I will be 20 years out of law school in 2012, which will be here before we all know it.

Which brings me to the topic of the increasingly fast passage of time as we age. Is it really that each year is that much smaller a fraction of our total lifespan that makes time seem to accelerate? Or is the busy, busy pace of our lives that keeps us from appreciating each day for what it is - a chance for a fresh start? Or is just that they keep putting out the Christmas decorations in the mall earlier each year? I vote for the first or last explanation, because I have heard quite a few grey panthers say that they experience the same sensation even though they didn't/don't have the busy-ness that we in thecell phone toting, iPod listening, Blackberry addicted generation have. What are your thoughts?

And the beat goes on in another way, too. Last night, my stepdaughter, Josie, lied about brushing her teeth. The difference between how she lied and how Reece lied are stark. I asked Leon how he knew to do the testing-the-toothbrush-for-wetness test and it was the slight hesitancy and less-than-confident answer that she gave to his question. Reece, on the other hand, was emphatic, had an explanation for every action that he supposedly took. So while they are learning many things in school, they are also learning things that are definitely human during the trip from elementary to middle school (or childhood to adolescent) - how to lie convincingly and without hestiation.

I should understand this well, since I was quite the molder of the truth in my teenage years. Now, it was never over stealing or something that actually hurt someone else (this is my self-justification). It was usually more about what I did in terms of youthful recreation - drinking alcohol and smoking cigarettes being the chief ones among them. So given what I managed to get away with in high school, I think that I have my work cut out for me with our children. I think that this is what you call "Just Desserts".