I'm sure that if I could jump into a time machine & travel back to see myself fishing as a kid I'd probably want to shake my head in amusement. Hey, I was a kid & didn't know any better. Back then I used a cheap glass fly rod, a level floating line (try finding that today), & a spool of straight 6 lb mono for a leader. Give me those & set me lose on the trout stream! I think back then my philosophy in my young mind was something like: "if you don't know which fly to use, it doesn't really matter which fly you use!!" (that might actually be some really deep zen stuff there, I'm not sure).
My point is that back then it was all just about fishing & having fun. I didn't care about the slant of the wings on my flies, or the taper of my rod, or the action of my leader - & it was all good. Surrounded by family on the trout stream, learning, & having fun with or without catching fish - that was what was important.
Of course I'd like to think I've grown as an angler since then. I'm more refined & can appreciate things like a good rod & a properly designed leader. I've picked up a few more tricks along the way & many more techniques. I'd also like to believe that I'm still learning about fly fishing, too - always.