We don't want to clutter up our children's homes. Or indeed the streets of Cricklewood. Perhaps the religious life offers an answer. A closed order means they never go out, though they may read newspapers if they wish, and the abbess always listens to the 8 o'clock news on the Today programme. One of the charms of the contemplative life is that there are no mirrors in the nuns modest cells, so you don't actually see yourself ageing.
All flesh is grass.
Only God and perhaps Chocolate endureth. This is one of those paradoxes that seem to unfold as you get older. But they will discover unexpected pleasures. A child rages at the limitations of being sent to bed early. Young people glory in the liberation of being able to stay up all night.