Ahhh, the youth of today. What an eclectic group they are. What with arcades, roller-blading, teen dance clubs, MTV, VH1, gangs, computers, and heaven only knows what else, it's sometimes very hard to think of them as our future. I mean, picture it. Trent Reznor for president. Courtney Love, Supreme Court Justice. Billy Corrigan, Chairman of the Senate Ways and Means Committee. Scary.

Then, suddenly, you're face to face with a teen asking you if the PEG or the YPEG is appropriate for Skates, Ltd. (INLN), or will negative cash flow hurt Barney's Burger Emporium (BUNS)? This is a teen? This is no teen. This must be an adult in disguise. No way the teens of today are interested in the market.

Oh yeah? Look again.

I have recently had the pleasure of assuming the duties of the Teens & Investing folder. I, of course, assumed this would be an interesting way to baby-sit. Only problem I could think of was what different games to think up to keep them occupied. It is just where the parents park the kids when they have some important stock research to do, and I didn't think I'd need to extend much energy on this task.

Ok, so how many times would you like me to write "I Was Wrong" on the blackboard? While it's true, I can't seem to get them to post publicly the many compelling questions they have about stocks, they are not in the least bit afraid to ask me everything from stock valuation questions to what I think the Fed will do next in e-mails and Instant Messages. What the Fed will do next? Teens? Yup!

Now, when I see a post questioning the qualifications of a teen, based solely on his age, I have to wonder. When did we stop listening to the kids? When did we decide that there was no way some teenager was going to know what he was talking about? And why did we do this?

When I was 15, stock was something you put in soup to add flavor. Or it was all the stuff in those heavy boxes they wanted me to unload at the neighborhood grocery store where I worked. The stock market was some foreign entity that only rich people understood. Well, ok, I admit it, sometimes I still feel that way. Today, ask a teen what they think of the stock market, and you're likely to get a lecture on how inflation affects the market movement, and what the Consumer's Price Index is really saying.

When I find a stock I really like, the first person I ask to check it out is MF Apollo. He has this uncanny ability to ferret out all the pros and cons on stocks. He knows all the right research areas to go to, has all the right tools at his disposal to evaluate the company, and has a remarkable understanding of a company's financials. But then, here at the Motley Fool, we learn early on to respect intelligence and natural ability.

Oh, yes, and did I mention that MF Apollo is 15 years old?

So, Trent Reznor for president? Well, maybe not, but his kid?

Today's youth. What's to say? Can't live with them, wouldn't want to try to live without them.

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