Who do you blame for growing up???

When you're growing up, your skin stretches and leaves those stretch marks that you can never really get rid of. Something similar happens to your mind as well... you learn things you can never unlearn. There's no going back.

When you grow up to that level... you have most of the answers you're looking for... which ought to be good enough... but often, it still leaves you with a sense of helplessness and frustration... for although you know exactly what you need to, it doesn't leave you with much scope to let off steam when you need to... specially by passing the buck and blaming someone else for your problems or even just blaming someone for the sheer heck of it.

For every time you want to hold something or someone culpable you have a solidly logical reason why you cannot. Reasons that come in the shape of beliefs, quotes you've read someplace, advice given to you and a whole lot of principles or values you've carefully cultivated to that point... ones which you cannot give up for losing the very essence of what you've become by following those very things. And there isn't anything that survives the onslaught of logic in such cases. Have a look:

"My folks went wrong in quite a few places"

Argument: 'You canot blame your folks for what they did after the age of 25' - Character in Julian Barnes' England, England.

'They could've done worse' - Dr Cox in Scrubs.

"Why can't they bloody well behave themselves!!!"

Argument: You know very well what they're like... it's intheir nature and they're too immature anyway.

"God why can he not understand???!!!!"

Argument: Men!!! It's how they're wired... there's no hope of any of them ever understanding this... it's far too complicated for them.

"I wish my friends would keep in touch regularly"

Argument: Cmon don't fool yourself... you knew very well this was going to happen. Expectations never pay... unless you're having a baby. And sometimes even then they don't.

It's a snafu alright.... Situation Normal All Fd Up. Everyone goes through it... the point is... there's no point ot half the things one tries to find a point for. And you still don't get to blame anyone. At best... a few phrases buzzz around your brain repeatedly:

'What. the. HELL!!!'

'I didn't mean THAT'

'Oh gawd!!!'

'To hell with everything'

'GAH'

'HMPFH'

And a whole lot of times, a very comforting 'Oh Woooooooooooowwwwwwwwwww!!'