The Mind of the Youth

I know I've mentioned it several times before, but I really enjoy my morning walks. I love putting my headphones on and being alone with my thoughts.

It occurred to me today that I would do the same thing all the time in college. Walk around campus by myself with my headphones on, lost in thought. The only thing is, I can't imagine what it was I was thinking about back then. I don't recall having this sense of accomplishment when I was done walking like I do now. Like I've got so many things figured out.

It reminds me of a major criticism of a lot of the young contestants on American Idol. They sing songs that they don't really understand because they haven't had the life experiences that the songs sing about. Their performances are robotic and unfeeling because they can't relate to the lyrics.

There is a world of difference between what I was thinking about as an 18 year old college co-ed and what I think about now, as a 43 year old wife and mother. Nothing illustrates my point better than what happened in our house this week.

We are planning for a trip to NY next month. My husband, who is not a fan of live theater, does have three plays that he loves; Jesus Christ Superstar, Fiddler on the Roof, and West Side Story. There is a revival of West Side Story on Broadway and my husband would really like to see it. Since he got my daughter hooked on the video of Fiddler on the Roof, he thought it would be a good idea to watch West Side Story with her and get her amped for seeing it in New York. In concept he was right on. It had all the elements that would appeal to her...a great story, beautiful music, and dancing.

But we encountered a problem that we did not foresee. It goes back to trying, as an adult, to think like a child would. All of a sudden, during the rumble scene, she got really upset and didn't want to watch the movie anymore. She no longer liked it. My son couldn't understand what the big deal was, after all, only two people got killed (a whole separate issue.)

After a bit of talking about it, we think we found out what the actual problem was. She just couldn't wrap her brain around the fact that Maria would love Tony more than her brother, Bernardo. When Bernardo died, I think she felt bad for Maria because she couldn't imagine what that would be like for her to lose her brother.

My husband tried to explain that some day, she would meet someone, fall in love, and feel the same way Maria did. But it all goes back to what you know and what your life experiences have taught you so far. In my daughter's case, her life experience is that she loves her brother above all else and for now, that's as it should be.