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How 13-Year Old Girls Can End Terrorism
An Innovative New Approach to World Peace
OK. I know this headline seems bold. Even presumptuous. But bear with me. I’m inspired. And even more than that — on the brink of a breakthrough. But first, some back story…
Twelve years ago, my awesomely cool, smart, and creative daughter, Mimi (in the orange glasses above), turned 13 and invited 12 of her girlfriends to our house for a celebrational sleepover.
The first 30 minutes were great as each girl, gift in hand, was dropped off by a parent, who, upon surveying the room, offered my wife and I a glance of great compassion as if to say “Better you than me.”
The girls? Don’t ask…
They talked. They texted. They talked. They texted. Ate chocolate. Brushed hair. Played music. Painted fingernails. Laughed. Texted. Called friends. Finished not a single sentence, rolling their eyes every time a parent entered the room.
Mindful of my daughter’s need for space and my own weird tendency to be a little too present when her friends were around, I retreated to my bedroom like some kind of mid-western chicken farmer…