Teenagers are smart, independent thinkers

“Age is foolish and forgetful when it underestimates youth,” according to Albus Dumbledore in J.K. Rowling ’s “Harr y Potter and the Half-blood Prince.”

At what age a re young people capable of developing a nd a r ticulating autonomous thoug hts? I ask because Christine M. Flowers posits in her commentar y (“It ’s wrong to use children to adva nce agendas,” Oct. 1) t hat Greta Thunberg , Mala la Yousa fza i a nd t he hig h school activ ists f rom Park la nd, Flor ida, a re mere paw ns for adult agendas with rega rd to climate cha nge, education a nd g un control. ( For good measure, she tosses in Eliá n Gonzá lez as t he pint-sized poster boy for the perils of communism vs. fa mily unit y, which is a n absurd inclusion as he was ba rely out of diapers at t he time he la mentably made news.)

Flowers may not k now many teenagers f irst hand, which could account for her discounting t heir intel ligence a nd cr it ic a l t hin k i ng sk i l ls. She may be unaware that many people around the world a re considered to be f ully f unctioning members of t heir societies yea rs before t heir A merica n counter pa r ts. It ’s of fensive a nd pa rochia l to apply such restr ictive a nd condescending pa ra meters to ot her cult ures.

Helicopter parenting and cosseting of fspring seems to me to be almost a uniquely American phenomenon. I tried to ta ke a more laissez-faire approach with my own children and, although I am sometimes dismayed that they don’t espouse my ever y belief, I am nevertheless overjoyed that my husband and I have raised them to be independent thinkers.

Lori Mcilwaine

Hammond Niskayuna