> She has a very good spatial awareness and memory, far better than mine. I think that she has been helped in this by her largely analogue life, as nothing is spelled out for her, she has to deal with the reality of it, no shortcuts.

You would have had a largely analogue childhood, what's your excuse ;D

All my kids have got pretty good spatial despite having pretty much the opposite upbringing (almost unlimited access to screens) but they have also had almost unlimited access to movement and outside which may have more to do with it.

> we feel clever by connecting up large chunks of information provided us to find the solution to something already solved

When I noticed this, I associated it with school.  It certainly seemed that way when I was going, and despite shrilly being told that it's different now, it seemed pretty much exactly the same when my daughter was trying out high school a couple of years ago.

> I think we are losing the ability to solve problems

I think so too.  And that's a problem that needs a bunch of other problems solved before or at the same time x_x

>  We see this now, where society has become bipolar in its approach to conflict, constantly on or off.

AAARGH.

> I don't know how much influence I have over Smallsteps

Right now, a hell of a lot.  In a few years, you'll be completely irrelevant, especially when you're telling her things she doesn't want to hear (all her friends agree with her therefore they must be right), but also not really because while she's desperately trying to prove she's an adult she also still desperately needs to be a child (especially when really hard stuff starts happening that they need to learn to navigate).  In a few more years, she'll realise that you do actually know a hell of a lot and did know exactly what you were talking about and that your wisdom and experience is a useful addition to what she's collected living her life XD