The “Boomerang Kids”—young adults who leave to go to college, get married or just show off their independence—are moving back in with mom and dad. Boomerang Kids can be a mixed blessing for parents, both emotionally and financially.

Especially during hard economic times, adult children head for home. According to a survey, about 40 percent of 2017 graduates still live with their parents. Moreover, 42 percent of the 2015 graduates surveyed said they are still living at home.

The reasons are many, the first being economics. While the recession has touched Americans of all ages, it has been very hard for young adults. This has sent many kids back home. Plus, there is the matter of debt, especially college loans. For many recent graduates, it makes smart economic sense to move back in with their parents where life is comfortable and rent is either low or nonexistent. Then, of course, some return for personal reasons, such as recovering from a divorce or an illness.

Parents are often glad to help out, both emotionally and financially. As a result, the arrangement often works to everyone’s satisfaction. However, there are risks, especially for the parents. These include not only family tension and misunderstandings, but also money. The return to the family can become a financial burden that can affect the parents’plans and their financial future, especially their retirement, as they try to do too much for their children.

Brenda Bongos was a happy, artistic girl．She had one big ambition—to play the drums in a band．But one big problem lay in her way．To be good enough to play in a band，Brenda had to practice a lot，but she lived next-door to a lot of old people．Many of them are sick．She knew that the sound of beating drums would really get on their nerves(神经)．So，she had tried playing in the strangest places：a basement，a kitchen，and even in a shower．But there was always someone it would annoy．

One day, while watching a science documentary on TV, she heard that sound cannot travel in space，because there’s no air．At that moment，Brenda Bongos decided to become a sort of musical astronaut．

With the help of a lot of time，books and work，Brenda built a space bubble(气泡)．This was a big glass ball connected to a machine which sucked out all the air inside. All that would be left inside was a drum kit(成套设备)and a chair．Brenda got into the space suit she had made，entered the bubble，turned on the machine，and played those drums like a wild child.

It wasn't long before Brenda Bongos came very famous．Many people came to see her play in her space bubble．Shortly afterwards she came out of the bubble and started giving concerts．Her fame spread so much that the government suggested that she be part of a unique space journey．Finally, Brenda was a real musical astronaut，and had gone far beyond her first ambition of playing drums in a band．

Years later, when asked how she had achieved all this，she thought for a moment，and said：“If those old people next-door hadn’t mattered so much to me，I wouldn't have found a solution，and none of this would have ever happened．”

Although not as much as in the past, grandparents are the teachers of the Navajo (纳瓦霍人) youth. They make young people aware of life at an early age. The parents grant them the privilege of teaching the children, and the grandparents take great pride in raising the children or at least having a big part in raising them.

Young children often stay with their grandparents for years at a time, developing a close and trusting relationship. The grandparents teach the children Navajo legends and the principle of life, emphasizing both new culture trends and the preservation of traditions.

The grandparents are also often the leading figures in teaching the youth the arts of weaving, caring for the livestock, using herbal medicine, and other arts and crafts.

The children are taught to respect their elders, to care for them, to help them whenever they are in need, and to learn from them. Young people are urged to listen with care to the words of their elders and to keep as much wisdom as possible. Grandparents often go to social gatherings and traditional events, and the young have opportunities to learn more about their culture and traditions.

I live with my grandmother for thirteen years, and she raised me in the old ways of our people. Although I was going to school, she taught me as much as she could about our traditions. She was a beautiful woman. If I had a chance, I would listen again to her wise teachings, expressed with kindness in a soft voice that touched my heart.

We used to plant com and pumpkin every summer. They never grew big enough to feed us, but we planted them anyway. I asked my grandmother why. She said, “Grandson, our plants will be far more beautiful than the flowers outside the fence.” I did not understand until one day I saw their beauty as I was coming over the hill with her. She said, “Anything that is a part of you is always far more beautiful than the things which you pass by.” We had some beautiful years together. I am glad she is a part of me and I am a part of her.

Children used to be well disciplined, possessing more respect for culture, tradition, and beliefs than they do now. The world of the Navajo has been influenced by the western world, and the grandparents have less control and influence than they used to. But the young people who have been touched by their teachings have glimpsed a way of life beyond what most people know today.

What is the nature of the scientific attitude, the attitude of the man or woman who studies and applies physics, biology, chemistry, geology, engineering, medicine or any other science?

We all know that science plays an important role in our societies. However, many people believe that our progress depends on two different aspects of science. The first aspect is the application of the machines, products and systems of knowledge that scientists and technologists develop. The second is the application of the special methods of thought and action that scientists use in their work.

What are these special methods of thinking and acting? First of all, it seems that a successful scientist is curious - he wants to find out how and why the universe works. He usually pays attention to problems which he notices have no satisfying explanation, and looks for relationships even if the data available seem to be unconnected. Moreover, he thinks he can improve the existing conditions and enjoys trying to solve the problems which this involves.

He is a good observer, accurate, patient and objective and uses the facts he observes to the fullest. For example, trained observers obtain a very large amount of information about a star mainly from the accurate analysis of the simple lines that appear in a spectrum(光谱).

He does not accept statements which are not based on the most complete evidence available. He rejects authority as the only basis for truth. Scientists always check statements and make experiments carefully and objectively.

Furthermore, he does not readily accept his own idea, since he knows that man is the least reliable of scientific instruments and that a number of factors tend to disturb objective investigation.

Lastly, he is full of imagination since he often has to look for relationships in data which are not only complex but also frequently incomplete. Furthermore, he needs imagination if he wants to guess how processes work and how events take place.

These seem to be some of the ways in which a successful scientist or technologist thinks and acts.