Originally Posted by 2granddaughters

When I came to AA in 1989 there was an oldtimer who shared how when he got his 1 yr token that he thought he had it made.
When he got his 2nd yr token he was aware of how screwy he had been in his first year.
When he got his 3rd yr token he was aware of how screwy he was in his 2nd yr.
etc.
etc.
etc.

One of my granddaughters is in SK (senior kindergarten) and is kind-of the teachers pet. My granddaughter calls herself a mathematician because she knows that 2+2=4 and can read pretty well all the books in SK. She actually sees little value in going to Grade 1 next year as she feels she knows everything necessary to do what she will have to do.
I give her a loving hug, tell her she's doing great, but she might just want to give Grade 1 a try as what is taught there "perhaps" will be of value later.

I don't think the AA speaker made a mistake .. ask the oldtimers in your group what they think. Ask your sponsor. The newcomers are my granddaughter.

I had a boss tell me one time years ago when my mind was on the bottle and not on the job, he said "I honestly don't know why I keep you on .... just to serve as a bad example I guess". That's how I came into AA. The oldtimers had patience with me and allowed me to begin to grow, to begin to get what the oldtimers had. I had little to offer.

As you go along in AA you will see what the oldtimer was telling me in 1989.

All the best.

Bob R