Sharing Their Wisdom About Family Life in L.A.

The contrast between Martin Miller’s “Unconventional Wisdom” (Dec. 12) and David Brooks’ “Good Judgment Is a Lifetime Task” (Opinion) could hardly be more striking. Where Brooks talked about the ancient Greek notion of metis--the kind of mature wisdom that comes from a lifetime of experience, reflection and study--Miller celebrates a young couple who epitomize the standard Southland fantasies of being an actor and a screenwriter, who express the normal parental worries about their children even while burdening those children with names that indulge their own wishful fancies, and who confirm their unquestioning belief in all the popular forms of “ancient wisdom” on the basis of impressionistic, snap judgments. Why, though, should any of those things be considered either unconventional or particularly wise?

PHILIP BLACKMARR

Pasadena

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I enjoyed very much reading about Kadu and Katrina and their family who live in Silver Lake. My wife and I live and raised our two children (a boy and a girl) in Echo Park; we are neighbors.

Both of our children are in their early 20s now, and both have developed into great kids through application of conventional wisdom. I am sure Kadu and Katrina will have two wonderful kids too with their unconventional wisdom.

However, I do disagree with their huge generalization that “Los Angeles is not good for kids. There’s too much materialism and it’s always in your face. I want my kids to be able to ride their bikes down the street or ride the subway train to a friend’s house without me having to worry.”

Through our wisdom we taught our kids not to be overwhelmed by materialism, whether in their faces or in its many subtle forms. Through streetwise wisdom, we taught them to ride their bikes and skateboards down the streets and sidewalks.

Los Angeles is a great, big, beautiful city of many nice neighborhoods like Echo Park and Silver Lake, and many nice people. What Kadu and Katrina and their family need to do, in their wisdom, is to get to know the rest of L.A. and realize that it can be quite good for kids.

BEN JUAREZ

Los Angeles