TURN AROUND AND SHE'S SEVENTY

Seventy

So this is what the seventies are all about. People that are in this category (like me) are called elderly, older citizens, or just plain old people. It is hard for me to grasp that I am in this age group.I don't think I should have those names attached to me, because I don't mentally feel  ELDERLY.
 First of all, my mind is young, body not, but from illness, not age. But alas it doesn't change the fact that I am classified as elderly. Me, seriously? Yep,
  I feel comfortable around people of all ages, and love to carry on conversations with the young ones too.. I learn a lot from listening to them. Like so much has changed since I was that age, and yet so much has not. Mothers are mothers, they want what's best for their child and love them unconditionally. When my boys were young, I was a firm believer in what ever Dr. Spock said, today if I  should mention Dr. Spock, young mothers say "who".
        
 My oldest son is 49, I can hardly believe it, it seems like yesterday that I was that age. I remember being in my forties quite vividly. Our house was very active, in fact my husband called it "Giant Eagle" because it was open 24 hours a day, every day!.
   Not a dull moment at all!  EVER!  Even though our neighbors were decent, they still called the police on us whenever my son Brian would practice playing his drums.  To this day I don't know why they didn't call us instead, didn't they know that the police would tell us who was making the complaint?  Anyhow, we lived with it, but between the music, cub scouts, PTA, sports, and everything else you can imagine fun loving boys would do, I worked. At first at night, then during the day. I wore many different hats during the years but the best one of all was the one that said "Mom", and of course "wife"
We were blessed with relatively healthy kids, with the usual childhood illness, and a lot of strep throat. They were close with each other growing up, played and fought, but made up and played. Close in high school also, each one cheering the other one on in what ever sport event was going on.
   I married young compared to the age of today. I was 20, had my first born at 21, my second at 22, my 3rd at 26 and my fourth at 28, all beautiful healthy boys.
   All those wonderful years are behind me, now I have beautiful, loving grandchildren to see grow. I am blessed to have 6 girls and 1 boy. All those years of never being able to buy frilly, girly things and I finally get to spoil too my hearts content "girls" and my little guy is easy to spoil, he is so lovable.
  My kids are now living my life and my husbands life, we watch, admire and enjoy the great job they are doing and are so proud of all of them. They are good men, loyal, trustworthy, loving and compassionate and kind. 
   Times are changing, and have been for quite some time, so as time marches on, so does our age.  I guess to a 30, 40, or 50 year old, we, who are in our seventies are elderly, We honestly are not, we still have a lot of spunk in us, so don't write us off as elderly or old.
   One day you will be in our shoes and know of what I write
  I hope I am blessed to live the rest of my seventies, I want to see my grandchildren grow, make decisions on schooling, etc. I would like to see the first woman become President, I would like to see a cure for cancer, I would like to see peace in the world, I would like to see all children in loving homes, heck there is so much I would like to see including many, many, more days of new beginnings. God willing and the creek don't rise, maybe I will.

Whatever Happened to - - - - - - - - -?

 So I sit here and realize I have no right to complain. I am blessed more then most and in more ways then one.... But - yes, I am going to complain, and many will think I have no right (if it helps any, I feel guilty doing so)
       What has happened to the old traditions? Some of the young parents today are setting a new tradition for their children. Children learn from their parents, and so it goes without saying that they won't know what days are special if it is not celebrated. That means their children won't know  the tradition because it will be treated as just another day.
        There is the possibility that young parents today didn't celebrate traditions because their mom and dad didn't, therefore they didn't know any better.
      Okay, I know I am rambling, it's just that I have so much I want to put down and it is getting jumbled up in my brain.
       There are 7 days in a week. Those days, for some, are filled from morning to night working, doing chores, being a spouse, caring for children, helping with homework, taking part in activities, being a chauffeur, and attending their children's activities. That's fantastic and wonderful that they do all that, plus they take an interest by going to all their kids extracurricular activities.
       Mind boggling for sure. I have 4 sons and when they were growing up and involved in different activities, it was hard for me to be at every one's activity if it was held on the same day at the same time. Their dad would hit two and I would hit two, but many times their dad was involved in one of the sons activities, so I had to go to the other 3 . Whew, we were all exhausted when the day was done. But there was "Sunday"
      Today Sunday is treated like any other day of the week. Of course hospitals, police, firemen are expected to work to keep us all safe, even back then, but it still use to be such a relaxing, traditional family day. Go to church, home for breakfast, read the Sunday paper, visit your parents or if lucky enough your grandparents, or they would visit us.
I use to go with my parents and visit their siblings too. What I use to hate is when we would stay for the weekend at my grandmothers. At that time children were seen but not heard, so I was ignored. While the adults gathered around the table I sat in the living room. At that time my brother was not born yet and none of my cousins lived close by, so it was quite lonely.  I found my love of reading through all those weekend stay overs and I lived the lives of Nancy Drew, Little Women, Black Beauty, Heidi, and Tom Sawyer.   I was a nurse, a detective, a farm girl, oh so many lives I lived reading those books. They saved me.
       Mother's Day - I know for a fact that as a kid we didn't have activities and our kids did not have activities on that day or Father's Day. Those days were set aside to honor our parents, those of us fortunate enough to still have them around. 
     Did you know when I was a child and teen, and even as a young adult, that on Mother's Day,  if your mom was living you would wear a pink carnation, and if your mom had passed on, it would be a white one. Another tradition that went by the wayside. And while I think about it - the tradition of wearing a hat and/or wearing a orchid on Easter has been forgotten also, just like not wearing white gloves anymore. I still have mine in my cedar chest from way back when.
       If I were a parent today and my kids had an activity on one of those two days (that only happened once a year,) they would not be permitted to attend unless it did not interfere with visiting their grandmothers or grandfathers .
      What the punishment would be I don't know. But I do know that in our house it was a very important that we spent time with both of my grandmothers and I carried that on when we became parents.


        Whatever happened to priorities?