A recent experience required my answering the question, "Are you with it?" One Saturday morning one of my young sons and I were working on a cub scout project. I was singing the words of a tune from my childhood days, when my son good-naturedly said, "Cool it, Dad!"
Having no idea of what I was supposed to do, I answered, "Why?"
His smiling reply was, "It's gross."
By this time I concluded he had to be speaking in another tongue. Seeing my dismay, my son laughingly explained that to "cool it" means to stop it, and "gross" means what I assumed he meant, something distasteful or unpleasant. In those few moments I suddenly felt I was beginning to "get with it."
This was a humorous and rather pleasant incident, but it serves to suggest how easily different generations can become alienated one from the other, if for no greater reason than a failure to communicate with each other.
