We are at Lakeside on Lake Erie, a summer Chautauqua community, where I have noticed big differences between today’s solicitous, attentive grandmothers and those no nonsense, sensibly shod ladies of the 1940s and 1950s when I was spending time with grandmothers. One of my grandmothers was born in 1876 (a centennial baby), and the other in 1896 (a turn of the century baby). So even they were a world apart in life style and experiences. Altogether, I had six grandparents (2 sets of grandparents, 1 great-grandparent couple), and loved them all, and have many fond memories of spending a lot of time with them, but. . .
1. I never saw either of my grandmothers in slacks, let alone jeans, shorts or a swim suit.
2. I never saw either of my grandmothers on a bicycle. Can’t even picture it!
3. I never saw either grandmother drive a car, although I know one did when she was young and middle age (one was blind, the other had mild strokes in her 60s). I also never saw them ride a horse either, but I know they both did--one even rode a horse to church with several children aboard.
4. My grandmothers never read to me.
5. My grandmothers never supervised crafts for me or played games with me or took me swimming, because that’s what cousins and older sisters were for in those days.
6. My grandmothers never had house pets--there might be a cat or dog around, but it lived outside where it could earn its keep.
7. Neither of my grandmothers was a particularly fine cook--if we ate well at their homes it was a holiday and the younger generation of aunties or daughters supplied the food. Both kept gardens and canned.
8. I never ate in a restaurant with my grandmothers when I was a child, nor did they buy me huge helpings of ice cream I couldn‘t finish.
9. My grandmothers never wore make-up--or even wedding rings as I recall.
10. Neither of my grandmothers cared much about house cleaning or yard work.
11. When they were my age (now) both my grandmothers were in business--one managed several farms, the other a small call-in service to pick up and remove dead animals.
12. Neither was the huggy, smoochy type, but both knew how to soothe a crying baby.
13. Both were married over 60 years, one over 70.
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6 comments:
I'm Janet's cousin, and she is right...this is wonderful. Sounds much like our grandmothers and we sure miss them dearly!
Murray sez:
We're together on all but 11 & 13. I might add #14. My grand mother looked like a grandmother at age fifty. There was no doubt!
Interesting! I didn't know my maternal grandmother very well, but my paternal one NEVER wore pants or shorts; however, there is a pic of her in one of those 1920's swimsuits. Adorable! :)
Having a grandmother read to you is a wonderful experience. I am sorry you missed it. One read me poems sometimes-the other earilier-read me sweet old time stories. They never seemed to be in a hurry like my mom,who also read to us but at bedtime usually when her rushing about was over. My dad read to me from a newspaper-he read four a day-and would read aloud something that interested him,it didn't matter than we were to young to know what it was all about...but just having him read-the sound of his voice-that was nice, too.
I vote for more pieces like this...
Anon: It would take a lot of time writing about Obama's lies to match the time some spent getting him elected.
Google led me to your blog in search of references to Centennial Babies. My grandmother was also one, and proudly claimed to be so. It was an interesting perspective on growing up Texan in the Reconstruction and post-Reconstruction turmoil, to self-identify with the Republic in a conflict era.
I liked your blog, even though I come to it a bit late. Thanks for writing.
Bryan Brown, near Tyler, Texas
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