Some of us early Freepers are now seniors, handicapped, living in “senior facilities”, because our adult children are too busy, preoccupied with their jobs, families, etc, to care for us directly in their homes. We are a modern “inconvenience”, and I understand that. It is what it is.
In fact, they are so busy with the daily struggle to meet the expectations of modern suburbia, they don’t even want to listen about how it used to be, - that gardening, canning, and freezing was a spring/summer/fall event involving the entire family, providing food over the bleak winter months until the next spring, when the cycle of life began again.
Because now, “Walmart, Publix, Wegmans, Whole Foods, Sam’s Club, & Trader Joe’s” are eager to take our “fiat” dollars, so why should our children take the time to learn how to garden, can, dehydrate, smoke, etc. We end up sounding like elderly naggers, telling stories about long walks uphill, in snow, both ways in the “olden times”. They are
They are the Sesame Street generation, and if you can’t explain how to grow tomatoes in 10 minutes, they get anxious - they want the “trophy-bragging points” for home-grown tomatoes, but do not have the time to learn the importance of temperature, varieties, soil, fertilizer, weather, water, bugs, time, etc.
They do not even know the difference between indeterminate vs. determinate varieties, and start shifting their feet if one attempts a brief explanation.
All I can do is weep, for survival skills are degrading, generation after generation, and many of our grandchildren will die from ignorance/lack of simple skills, all easily learned by elementary school years. But, we are too busy teaching them about sex in all it’s unhealthy expressions to be bothered with cooking, sewing, carpentry, mechanics, or basic animal husbandry.
We still vote for our local public school budgets, even though these schools have abandoned “shop, home-ec and agriculture, in the deluded notion that everyone has to get into college, Dare we ask about what degree repays the cost to our society/culture for valuable skills neglected, therefore lost, in these “institutions of higher learning?
Sorry for the rant. It is late and I am grieving, for I can see my grandsons slip-sliding away, charmed by the “Turkish Delight” of our suburban “mall” culture.
Our adult children are struggling to survive, and we elders are in danger of becoming the proverbial straw that will break their backs, if they even try to help us in the sad decline of our entire economic system, and what remains of our culture ahead.
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I understand exactly what you are saying. My kids have finally come around and want to learn a few of life’s lessons that my parents taught me. Gardening, canning, preserving and raising farm animals is how I was raised. I still do it cuz I can. Maybe I should turn this knowledge into a hands on business?
BUMP!
Our University has a comprehensive Extension program, with lots of on-line information for all sorts of practical learning. I have used them extensively to learn more about vegetable gardening. Our grand daughter enjoys going out and helping with the harvest, and it's easy to slip in little tidbits about how and what needs to be done.
Eldest daughter is honing her culinary skills, and planted her first garden this past spring. Youngest is learning to quilt and makes some of her own clothes, and plans to plant a garden this spring.
What you say may be true of those in Urban areas, but the rural areas are a different matter especially in states where agriculture is still a big part of the economy. Also, there are a lot of books out there about backyard gardening, back yard homesteading, and urban farming. So there's some city folk that are doing stuff too.
When my father had a stroke, I brought him home to recuperate. Just as he was almost ready to go back home, he had to have a bypass operation, and so forth and so on. I took care of him for five years, and was able to keep him out of a nursing home.
We had a deal, he had to do his physical therapy exercises so that he could at least manage to walk with help. He was too heavy for me to manage if he didn't. So he did.
I am so sorry that more people don't do this. I had to take early retirement, and I did incur some expenses, so now I have some debts that I have to pay off. I would do it again.
You sound like you have a lot of knowledge to impart. Is there a 4-H club, or FFA at the local school. Our community college has horticultural classes. If you have anything like this around where you live, they might like to hear from you.
Maybe you could have them take a field trip to the dining area of your assisted living residence and you could answer questions and help explain what life was like back in the day.
My youngest daughter is very busy since she has a long commute, full time job, night school, and family to raise, but she asked me if I would please buy a notebook and tell me what it was like when I was a kid. So I have finally started on that project for her and the future generations.
Last but not least, there are people right here that are trying to learn what they can about the old days in order to prepare for a situation where that knowledge could save them. So don't hesitate to tell us all about it.
You give them too much credit. It’s more like 20 seconds rather than 10 minutes before they get bored learning about tomatoes. Besides, it’s not like old people know anything because, well, you know, they’re old. Their little worlds revolve around tweets. If tomato growing isn’t from one of their friends’ tweets, it’s not worth their time. That said, lil missy b, with her head in her iphone and who has the stupidest parents on earth, moved out to the country last semester and started .... wait for it.... are you sitting down.... a garden and kept it alive to get some squash and cucumbers.
I’m not a senior - on my way at 47... but I hear what you’re saying.