It seems like today’s society is all about me, me, me. We are so focused on living our lives that families seem to get in the way! We have 24 hour daycare centers for our kids, and lock-down nursing homes for our parents. What happened to the family unit?
In the ‘olden days’ as my kids say, families stuck together. Grandma sat in the corner and knitted while the baby played on the floor, and mom passed the wisdom she learned at the older woman’s knee on down to her own daughters.
Today we seem to look at things differently. We disregard Grandma as fussy and old fashioned - hopelessly behind the times. The thought of asking our mom for advice doesn’t even cross our mind.
At the same time, we have given up on our kids. We ship them off to school and daycare, and hope they turn out OK. We try to ignore the reckless things they do, and tell ourselves it’s part of the natural rebellion against authority.
I don’t have a mom, so I’ll never know if I would have been smart enough to listen to her, and I’ll never have to decide whether or not to move her in with me. I do have a daughter, and I hope I pay enough attention to her needs and wants and questions!
I hope she will always be close to me, and we can break the cycle. I want to live with her when I get old, and rock her babies on my knee!
Contributor: Sarah P.
