Twisted Tweens: Collaboration for All Ages

At age sixteen, I must admit that most of my friends are close to my age. Still, I have plenty of exceptions. For instance, I'm friends with the younger sister of my best friend. I'll call this girl G, because I want to relate a fun experience that I had with her, and I don't wish to call her The Younger Sister Of My Best Friend every time I mention her.

G is nine. She is a curious, inventive and funny Tween. She loves cats. She has created her own language. And she is a stunning writer. When writing a story, she weaves all of her curiosity, inventiveness, humor and cats straight into it. I had the grand privilege, recently, to weave a story with her.

Of course, we didn't write an instant classic. Indeed, you won't see Alex Wubzy and His Woeful Troubles pushing Harry Potter off the shelves. But it was fun – extremely fun. Our only aim, in fact, was to have fun. Yet I glimpsed the possibilities, and I saw how valuable it is to collaborate with people of different ages.

Collaborate means “to work jointly or together.” Many people find it difficult to collaborate with anyone. So, when a person does have to collaborate, she or he attempts to find someone who is at least a similar age. The world is designed this way: in schools, kids are assigned to work with their classmates; in workplaces, adults must work with other adults; in nursing homes, elderly people plan escapes with other elderly people. Now, wouldn't it be nice to mix all of this up?

Maybe I just feel excited from my successful experience with G, but I think that collaboration between adults and Tweens and Teens is the future! Maybe I've just been supported by some opportunistic people who believe in equality, but I think there are lots of these people. Amazing things are waiting to happen, and I'm not going to let a difference in birthday candles obstruct anything.

So, post a comment. What do you think about collaborating with someone older than you? Or younger than you? On the same note, have you ever worked with someone who is at least five years older or younger than you? If you ask your parents about their experiences, remind them that a 37 year old working with a 32 year old does not count. Still, what do they think?

Have a good week!

Zachary