Love and Let Love

August 14, 2025

In last week's column, "Meet the Sky," I mentioned my enduring love for the rock band Rush and its legacy. I’m used to hearing from readers—with 800,000 subscribers, that's inevitable. You tend to be a kind bunch, so I was not surprised that not a single person wrote me to say, “Seriously? Rush?” Instead, my inbox lit up with fellow prog-rock fans eager to share their own stories.

In the rhythm of everyday life, though, things can be different. It’s become an almost cliché intergenerational ritual: Boomers rib their Millennial kids for loving the Star Wars prequels, and Gen Z rolls its eyes at us Gen X-ers for our nostalgic affection for Nancy Drew or our uninterrupted devotion to Prince. Certain friends will rib me when they discover I'm planning to attend RushFest Brazil 2026. Usually it’s all just friendly teasing—until it crosses the invisible line into stomping on someone’s bliss.

What we love is largely what makes us ourselves. For adults, any given affinity is usually just one small piece of our soul—we collect many interests over time, so a joke about one barely makes a dent. But for a child, a beloved book, band, or game can be half their world. They’re still in the process of becoming, and each passion is a big piece of their identity. When we knock it down, we’re not just dismissing a pastime—we’re chipping away at the person they’re growing into. And because adults loom so large, even an offhand comment can land like a verdict: What you love isn’t worth loving.

So here’s my recommendation: Decide to revel in what the young people in your orbit love, whatever it is. Encourage them to teach you about what makes them glow. Help sustain that joy, whether or not it’s your particular cup of tea.

And if you meet a 12-year-old who can air-drum “Tom Sawyer,” please give that kindred spirit a special high-five from me.

—Debra Ross, publisher

KidsOutAndAbout.com: Discover more. Do more. Connect more.