Thursday, December 15, 2005

Generation to Generation



Tis the season --- when generations are thrust together to make conversation while waiting for a holiday meal or holiday drinks. It is the time when you can find yourself face to face with relatives you barely remember from their last visit a year ago. It can be painful even with generous potions of eggnog or single malt. The worst situation can be the pairing of young folks with the fossils up from Florida for the holiday week.

Some young people have a hesitancy to treat the over eighty bunch as though we were real people. We are… our noses and ears may be long, but we are real people. Most of us are not former presidents, generals, nor ambassadors due any special deference. Neither are we freaks nor stumbling sufferers of severe dementia. And what if we were the latter? All the folks you know don’t qualify as brain surgeons and you talk to them like residents of this planet. Please act yourselves around us. We stopped talking to you with baby talk, please return the favor. We know we are almost historical landmarks, so if you run out of conversation, ask about our youth of many years ago. One question about Christmas before there was television will get us going and get you off the hook for long enough for the dinner bell to ring. If that doesn’t work, start recounting your recent adventure at a rap concert. That will put us old-timers to sleep.

3 comments:

Archana said...

LOL :-)! I know I feel uncomfortable about talking with "older" people because I really don't know what to say. But once I get over the initial awkwardness I have had some very interesting conversations!

You go, guy! And shake your stick at the next person who baby-talks to you!

east village idiot said...

Right on! This culture has a fear of aging. Weird. People are people - forget age - just focus on the heart and intellect. We lose so much when we don't connect across the generations. We need each other!

Anonymous said...

Ha! I love this post! So many people get caught up this time of year into trying to avoid getting into family arguments that we often forget that it's equally important to make sure ALL family members feel included.

That said, teenagers...what are you gonna do with 'em? I adore my teenage niece and nephew...but you know, they think *I'm* ancient. ;)