10 replies to this topic

[echo]

http://www.cbs.com/primetime/kid_nation/bios/greg/

I noticed that while Greg is 15 and taller\stonger than a lot of the other kids, for a 15 year old boy, he is not all that big. A few of the girls 11-12 are nearly as tall as him. I'd say for his age, he's probably smaller than most 15 year old boys his age and it was one reasons was chosen for the show.

[Fuskie]

I think it is more because he is well intentioned, though defensive and aggressive when he feels cornered.

Fuskie
Who notes he never directly answered Jonathan's question when asked if he would listen to the town and change...

[TCS]

Boys grow at a different rate. I'm 5'-8" and in Jr. High I was the second tallest student in my class. The tallest student was also a girl . The boys didn't start getting taller until 10th or 11th grade. So Greg might not be tall compared to the 11 or 12 year old girls, but he still has some growing to do. Mentally too. JMHO

[Francis_3]

IDK, he looks about average to me. But then again, if you compare him to those kids on Sweet 16 or anything MTV barfs up, he does look a little small.

But as far as behavior, I think he's pretty normal.

[echo]

Greg behaves more like a 12-13 year old, but maturity is such a nebulous quality. He seems to be very comfortable with interacting with kids younger than him (11-12) as peers rather than an older kid who has different interests and an older circle of friends. But, like Taylor, I am highly suspicious of what they reveal on TV, and suspect what we see of him is barely more than a snap shot of who he is. And the way the human mind works, it fills in the missing details with potentially incorrect assumptions. People who see the world as being mostly good, tend to fill in the gaps with positive assumptions, and those who see the world as mostly bad, fill in the gaps with negative assumptions.

[Francis_3]

Greg's ability to treat younger kids as equals is probably a big reason he is on the show. The unique quality is also probably why there are so few older kids.

[echo]

Francis wrote:

Greg's ability to treat younger kids as equals is probably a big reason he is on the show. The unique quality is also probably why there are so few older kids.

I agree. With the head strong personality we are being shown on TV, if he was more the typical 15 year old that I familiar with, he wouldn't have much interest in being around kids 12 years old and under simply because 2+ years age difference is huge among kids. If he was more of a typical 15 year old, he'd be extremely reluctant to defer to younger kids as legitimate authority figures (town council) nor have an interest in consulting with them when making decisions. Also, a mature 15 year old, which he is not, might be perceived as mentor\leader to the other kids and I beleive the producers wanted a town of peers, not a few older kids making all the decisions either directly or by proxy\puppet.

[TCS]

I do like how they have showed him comfort the younger ones when they cried, said they wanted to go home. I think he's got a lot of compassion, but he has a temper too.

[Baron]

Well I am no authority on child behavior, but perhaps Greg has younger siblings? I've seen this kind of behavior... in fact I have lived this behavior as the youngest of 5. My older brother is 12 years my senior and always treated me tenderly. He'd make my other brothers and sisters lives hell. But, since I was the "baby" I was spared. I have also seen this in other families. There's also the "camera factor." We all know how kids love to play up to the camera when the little red light is on. That could be it too.

[Francis_3]

Good observation, Baron. I agree.

[WickedOne]

He's my nieces age. He's not really any different than most boys his age. My nephew just turned 17 and he and his friends were alot like Greg. Greg's temper is often triggered by frustration. He doesn't always handle it as he should. But he's not an adult. Most adults fail just as miserably. I don't believe he fakes compassion towards younger children due to cameras. He's naturally easy with them. Many kids his age don't bother relating to youngsters and despite cameras, would blow the kids off.