Week 7, Rosie's Paradox, Episode 617, Act Three

https://www.thisamericanlife.org/617/fermis-paradox

Listen to Act Three, 12 min

All of us struggle in different ways to relate to our parents. Often we feel an natural affinity or connection to one parent over another. Or maybe it just takes creative effort to unlock what could be a much deeper connection with a more distant parent. That is the case with Rosie, a young girl in this episode who tried to reach her busy father in a way she thinks will get him to just talk to her…


  1. Which parent did you connect more naturally with? Why? Has that always been true, or have you connected with both parents at different points in life?
  2. Did this story make you think of any of your childhood events or relationships? Who and how?
  3. Of the questions Rosie posed to her father, which one would you most want to ask to someone who could provide a satisfying answer?
  4. Which one would you most want to answer from a younger person in your family?
  5. One of the interesting parts of this episode is that Rosie seems to be more mature or more capable in some areas of life than her father. Do you agree? What type of intelligence does he seem to have not as well developed as she?
  6. Read Psalm 119: 97 – 102. How do you react to this passage? What do you think it means?
  7. Read 1 Timothy 4: 12. Every young room has a poster that displays this verse. Christian faith puts a high value on the potential for the young to influence the old. Even in the Old Testament it was often the youngest born that God used to challenge and teach older siblings. Why do you think God likes to work from the bottom up in families and maybe in society? What could the children and youth teach the older members of your church? Does your congregation give them this opportunity?


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