tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8824856966699404771.post9182404637706817919..comments2023-10-18T04:42:47.579-05:00Comments on A Writer By Day: Parenthood Prep for Teen Angst 101Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02319750225198611486noreply@blogger.comBlogger1125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8824856966699404771.post-17955690816436847652012-10-02T10:26:26.774-05:002012-10-02T10:26:26.774-05:00First off: The name "Charlie" means &quo...First off: The name "Charlie" means "common man" -it's the reason Brandon's dragon character chose the name, because of his obsession with humanity, and his insistence on remaining in human form. I don't know about all other authors, but I have always been very careful about the choosing of characters names due to their meanings. It was also something that I picked up as a common theme in my literature classes, particularly when the literature is primarily short, symbolic stories. NAMES ARE IMPORTANT, and can reveal an awful lot about a character. I also had a very beloved high school AP English teacher who taught us through such stories and symbolism that the meaning of life is man's suffering. The refiner's fire, so to speak. It's very possible that the authors chose the name charlie for a reason. Charles M. Schultz was the creator of Peanuts, and he is the reason the main character is named Charlie. However, is there any one person who has not related to the boy and his disappointment in some way or another? Also, in Flowers for Algernon, the story is an unlikely one, and very sad, but throughout it, we feel his excitement for gain and then his sadness for the losses. Have we not all felt that way before? It's possible that these characters, including the one in the movie you saw, were aptly named as a symbol for ANYONE who can identify. <br /><br />Speaking of identifying, you know very well that I can empathize with every emotion you portrayed here. I actually have gotten a lot of flack from people in my family and my neighborhood because I allow Lilly and Mahone to walk home from school together each day- and they walk TO school on Tuesdays and Thursdays. People think it's unsafe. The truth is, every single day, I pray for them to be safe, and yell after them as they go out the door to stay together, don't talk to strangers, and to be safe and obey rules, and that I love them. And then, if they're two minutes late, I'm ready to jump in my car and go hunt them down like a bloodhound. But I resist, because I feel like walking to school has many benefits. One, it's a right of passage for a lot of kids. We live in a very safe place. The last time a child went missing from Tooele that wasn't a runaway teen was in 1960. We don't live in a ghetto with people on every corner ready to shoot at, give drugs to, beat up or rape my child. If we did, I would be much more careful. Two, by giving them this freedom in an environment that I feel is wide enough for them to feel challenged, but small enough that i feel it is pretty controlled (scores of other kids walking, 3 crossing guards on their way to school, Lilly has a cell phone in case of emergencies, etc.) I feel like allowing them to have this freedom gives them the chance to become responsible and follow rules that are set out for them. It's one step, and only one example, but letting go doesn't have to happen all at once. We give them ways to earn our trust and show their strength and allow them to make the right or wrong decisions and allow appropriate consequences to either. <br /><br />Remember, sweet Angie- one step at a time. Your 8 year old isn't going to become a beer guzzling druggie next week. You give him the tools to battle that, and he will make the right decisions. Windthicket Fableshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09820803765909133728noreply@blogger.com