Small children often laugh at a lame or blind person, or at someone who isn't dressed as well as they are. But as they grow up, they learn not to hurt people's feelings by laughing at their problems. They learn to laugh at other things. Most important, they learn to laugh at themselves. Suppose you are playing a game. You make a silly mistake and lose. Do you become angry? Or can you laugh at yourself and hope to do better next time? Suppose you are at a special dinner. You accidentally spill some food. Why keep worrying about how clumsy you looked? Why not laugh it off and enjoy yourself anyway? If you can, it's a good sign you have really grown up. According to the writer, if you find a new skill hard to learn, you should probably .