found a book at a yard sale, "The Dangerous book for Boys" and is it a hoot, lots of good information for any young man to read! I passed it along to grandson... I did not get a positive reaction though!
I can also find my two grandsons have a similar reaction.
It's a question of genetics. Both my late wife's family and mine have wills of their own. My wife could do Latin and Greek at 8 and had a string of arts and music degrees--- so she did dentistry.
Another was the famous Alice Pleasance Liddell famed for 'Alice in Wonderland' whilst another designed the Central Station in Newcastle-- and Dear Old Queen Vic came to see it. While she was doing it, Alice was knocking the sh1t out her son and heir. So Alice never became Queen except in the book!
The other side= mine, were equally zany. One branch of the family was expelled- several times but managed to become one of richest in the land. I mean dear Rowan- Mr Bean and Blackadder.
My father set fire to a couple of horses and missed being killed in WW1. Cousin Doug blew up the chemi lab at the local grammar school, went into the Army, became a partisan, went to Yalta with Churchill and when I joined the RAF was-- a Group Captain in Education.
My son was , according to his tutors- hopeless. So he did a degree in French and Geography and ended up in London speaking exclusively French. so much so that one of his colleagues asked him to bring some Christmas wine back- assuming he lived in the Touraine but he quipped 'Would you settle for Newcastle Brown Ale instead. Today, he part of huge German bank, transport firm and whatever. I taught him to drive at 14- not much else and he has a a fleet of cars- and seems to be able to put them together.
My daughter played bass clarinet in a prestigious all boys school- and instead of a career in music, did dentistry. Her son before the age of 14 has been interviewed for university and is in the top 4 in maths in the whole grammar school- but plays drums rather well.
Me, I simply deny all connections. I fart, smell a little or a lot, came out of the gutter and am happiest being drunk although I do have to scrub up, sit on finance committees- and am expected to 'do things for charity'.
I am to found whilst moderately sober to run 3 houses or is it 4 in all sorts of countries but try to make things -in me shed.
Monday- I have to put on a morning suit and devour or try to devour about 20 courses at a Chinese banquet. Oh, I have to do 'the prayers' but what the ****'?
I'm not going to influence -or be influenced by ancient books- or anybody.
Oh, yes and Thank you.
N