n the kingdom, and once their hides have been cured, have them placed on
the ground to cover the rocks and protect your feet." "How long will this take?" inquired the
prince, hoping it could be done in several months. "Ten years, your majesty," the wise man
"Ten years!" thundered the prince. "I might be dead by then. If this is the best answer you can
come up with, perhaps I should start with your skins." (He wouldn't have, of course, because
despite his royal temper, he was an extremely fair prince.)
Just then the court jester, who had crept in quietly while the wise man was addressing the
prince, spoke from the corner of the throne room, "if it please your majesty, would it not be
simpler to kill just one cow, and after curing the hide, have it cut and sewn to cover your feet,
instead of the entire kingdom?"
So it was that the first shoes were invented and the prince learned that sometimes it is easier to
change yourself just a little bit than to try and change the entire world. (Minchinton, 1993, p.
Adolescence is defined as that period of time between the ages of 10 and 22; between
childhood and adulthood, and involves biological, cognitive, and socioemotional changes
(Santrock, 2001, p.17). Adolescence, especially beginning with middle school, is the dawning of
the age of comparisons between self and others. This is the age when one can either make
something of their life or destroy it all, this is the time when a person makes those friends who
change the ways in which the adolescent looks at life and how he or she faces it. An adolescent's
main goal during this time seems to be to fit in and to conform with their peers. At the same time,
the adolescent wishes to be different, unique, and to learn who they are. Adolescence is a time of
great searching within and without, learning about self and selflessness. ...