A Golden Generation
Everyone has their different views as to what constitutes: ‘The Golden Years’. To me as a fifty one year old grandmother they are those years of middle age that enable you to span the generations of your family and relate to them all. There doesn’t have to be a generation gap when there is someone like you to close it.
These are the years when you are neither young nor old. You can easily play the big kid with your grandchildren at the kiddie’s playground yet still be responsible enough to take on the added responsibility and care of aging parents at the same time.
When you are middle-aged you can be useful to family members who are both younger and older; you not only possess the power to bridge the generation gap but you become the literal bridge that links the generations of your family together.
At this point in my life I can say I am caring for four generations on a daily basis. Not only does this give me a valuable insight into the demands of each particular age group but it endows me with some sense of purpose. They all need me; I shop for them, listen to their opinions requests and complaints and deal with their particular demands and needs from age one to ninety three. People all need attention whatever their age and above all they need someone to listen.
I can be bathing my toddler grandson and a few hours later will be washing my elderly mother’s hair while listening to her stories of wartime Britain. I feel privileged to be able to be able do this as fortunately we all live on he same bus route. Many modern families divided by continents are unable to do this on any regular basis.
My year old grandson will sit in his pushchair contentedly in the presence of his great grandma and she is thankful that I have brought him to see her; this new little person she never expected to live long enough to even know. She recites the nursery rhymes of her own childhood as fresh in her mind as if it was yesterday that she learned them.
There is a painting hanging on the wall of my study entitled ‘Youth and Age’ by an artist called J MC Whirter MA (someone please tell me if it is worth something!) It’s not a particularly colourful piece but it depicts a young sapling growing side by side with a much older tree and in this there is a lesson to be learned. Each generation can gain something from another and be happy to experience and share precious moments together.
My shopping basket consists of everything from nappies to denture tablets and is laden down with items for everyone. If I have no room for what is on my own list, it will wait till tomorrow
I’m expected to recall a vast wealth of knowledge on every aspect of childcare and baby care when my daughter asks me for advice and also be on hand when my ninety three year old mother is inquisitive about the intricate workings of mobile phones and the internet.
Because these ‘Golden years’ are full of purpose and my presence is perhaps appreciated by others far more than at any other point in my life, I feel at peace with the world. I do not worry too much about the onset of old age because you I’m busy and I don’t pine for my youth because I am content with my life as it is now. So these are ‘The Golden Years’ for me. The golden years of middle age can be truly golden for everyone whatever their personal experience of life. Use middle age as a vital link between the generations of your family and they may prove to be the most rewarding and fulfilling of your entire life.
