Speaking of Reason ... Intelligent Design?

While working yesterday with a reporting analyst on the design of a query for a huge sub-set of data I need, my colleague told me about an experience with her teen-aged son. She recently attended a substance abuse class with him and the instructor taught them a little about that amazing human cortex I wrote about in my last entry. While this instructor noted that the reasoning function of the cortex is last to fully develop, he mentioned that independence is fully developed prior to the final development of reason.

Now this may seems to be a “duh” piece of information. Of course independence precedes reason. Reason is last! Still, it was an "AHA" moment for my analyst colleague - and for me too.

Our 17, 18 and 19-year old "children" can't wait to be out on their own. The desire for independence is fully functional by about 17-years, and their reason does not really catch up until they are, on average, roughly 19-years. Suddenly, while my colleague spoke, I had a deeper insight into what Bill Cosby calls the “brain-damaged kids.”

I know my youngest daughter, who graduates from High School in a little more than a week, thinks that I just can’t let go – but it is so much more than that. We’re not rich people. In fact, we make just enough to be comfortable and to disqualify our children for any financial aid at institutions of higher learning. We do have enough to help, but Dartmouth is just not in our reach. And neither are 4-years at an out of town university or college if we have to pay the room and board.

That means that my young student (with her almost developed reasoning center) would have to work harder and longer to cover the costs of life while she attends college. And there are some really fine local colleges and universities that would allow us, with our limited resources, to give her time to focus on her education while we fund tuition, books, and lab fees, and room and board (at home.) She can work part-time for the car payment, the gas, insurance, and the little extras (Can you say, “Jimmy Choo boots?”)

And it also means that even if my youngest reads this, she may miss the absolute logic of such a position – because independence is fully formed but her reason is still cooking. Now who says the Design was Intelligent?