My oldest daughter Marlies is a very sweet thirteen year old, but she does have what you could call an explosive personality. This means that when something goes wrong, no matter how trivial or seemingly insignificant, she will explode in rage and start screaming. It has to do with learning to deal with unexpected obstacles, frustrations, letdowns and that sort of thing. This behavior is perfectly natural for that transitory age from childhood into puberty, but I just thought it would be interesting to mention it anyway. Sometimes this explosiveness can take on an exaggerated form, so much so that it appears at times to be artificial, like an act to get our attention. But it is very serious and should be attended to immediately in order to prevent it from exploding outwards without control. Here is an example that should offer some insight into the situation. This morning everyone was lazy and slept out until past ten o'clock. We decided that the weather was too nice to waste it by just lying in bed the whole morning, so we got up to take a shower. Unfortunately for us, that was exactly the same moment that Marlies was also planning to take a shower, but while I was ready in my underwear carrying the towel under my arm, she was still dallying aimlessly in her room. Boy was she mad when I so-called cut in front of her, yelling and complaining that she had to shower at that exact moment and not a second later. Too bad, I took my shower anyway and she just had to wait. That is life and it is never too early to get used to these disappointment, however trivial they may seem. The ironic thing is that Marlies takes after her father (me) not only in intelligence (she is a genius) but also in her personality. I am also quite impatient and find it difficult to deal with obstacles in my path, especially when my goal is within site. Could be the genes, chemical, an attitude, or whatever, but this is not important. By watching one's children one acquires many insights into the way one really is, watching in effect oneself in a mirror where time is rewound back to childhood.