March 15, 2015

Picture of grandparenting Appalachian style from the early '80s

How many signs of the good ol' days can we count here? This is me and my Pap at his home in Jefferson County, Ohio around 1981.


- Absence of helicopter parenting (not just from the grandfather in the picture, but also from the mother standing by who's taking the picture).

- Grandparents being a part of their grandkids' growth, teaching them about important things, eventually imparting valuable skills (although I had to wait until I was about 9 before he would teach me how to fire that gun).

- People in their late '60s being retired and freed up to play these grandparental roles, rather than still trapped in the workforce in order to strive-and-spend until death.

- Children dressed in distinctly children's clothing, not as mini-teenagers.

- Encouraging kids to walk on their own as soon as possible, not carting them around in strollers well into elementary school.

- Unpretentious, home-y kitchen.

1 comment:

  1. Good stuff. Good memories. And not just in Appalachia.

    Seemingly all gone with the wind.

    ReplyDelete

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