Contrary-wise

Teenagers say they want health advice, but they seem to ignore what they are told, according to the latest research. What a delicious misunderstanding! Of course teenagers do not ignore what they are told, they listen carefully and do the precise opposite.

Teenagers say they want health advice, but they seem to ignore what they are told, according to the latest research. What a delicious misunderstanding! Of course teenagers do not ignore what they are told, they listen carefully and do the precise opposite.

Good thing, too. The rest of us ought to be grateful that so many teenagers smoke, drink, experiment with various other chemicals and spend so much ergonomically inefficient time engaged in screen-based entertainment or holding mobile phones between their shoulder and ear. Unfit? You bet they are – and what a blessing that is. Imagine the damage that could be done by the nation's teenagers if they were all fit and healthy.

A special duty falls on the older generation, therefore, to persist in advising the youth on how to keep their bodies in full working order.