How to Speak Kid

I think that Harry J. Foxwell's June 13 Free for All letter about ocean creatures was a bit off.

For kids, "Eww, gross!" is the same thing as "Oh, cool!" I should know, considering that I am 12.

Foxwell also seemed to think that young people don't know much about marine biology and will think it's gross -- in a bad way -- but he was wrong there, too. I want to be a marine biologist, and I know lots of other youths who want to be one, too.

Another thing that I got from the letter was the contention that the June 8 KidsPost article he was writing about ["Ever Wondered What Lurks on the Ocean Floor?"] didn't teach kids anything. Not so; it informed readers about how hagfish eat, how pearlfish (an important branch in marine ecology) survive to adulthood and how starfish get food, among other things.

Sure, this may be gross in an adult mind-set, but kids think differently. I found the article informative and not gross in any way.

-- Geoffrey Gill

Richmond