As seen through our grandparents eyes

I never met my father’s parents (my paternal grandparents) because they died during WW2 & I didn’t arrive until 1948. My mother’s parents died when I was a young adult. I didn’t know their world & their times.

I have often heard in recent years people say of their grandparents generation , that they wouldn’t, couldn’t cope in our modern world.

I think they would cope brilliantly and would be appalled at the state of modern Britain.
The way debt is accepted as normal, food is wasted, respect for authority has evaporated, families are fragmented & the old are shut away. No job prospects for youth. Fifty year olds on the scrap heap.

We have come so far in many ways, & yet have gained nothing from “progress”

Re: As seen through our grandparents eyes

Robert, you're absolutely right. They'd cope far better than families today because they knew about hardship, so their coping abilities were far greater than ours - and not just our grandparents, but parents as well.

It's true that modern technology would be beyond them, but as far as standards and respect are concerned, they'd teach the younger set a few manners.

Debt? What's that? Mum and dad always said if you can't afford to pay for something there and then, then you couldn't have it. They didn't buy anything on tick, but saved for whatever they wanted. The only things I've had on "tick" in my life was the purchase of my car, and my mortgage.

I've never owned a credit card and never will, and I pay for my goods by debit card.

To my way of thinking, progress means we have learnt nothing from our past.

Re: As seen through our grandparents eyes

Hi there,
The thing I fear for the young of today is their inability to cope with things
we took for granted when I was younger. My Mum and Dad also scrimped and saved to buy things even food for the week. We never had much money and if you got a penny to spend at the shop I felt rich.
I also cant understand how people of today cant look after their sick
child very well. I saw a young lad on the bus a few months ago covered in chicken pox and he was crying he didnt feel well. To me that child should have been at home laid down not being dragged by his parents on a bus. On the bus was also a pregnant woman and that is supposed to be dangerous to that lady as chickenpox can kill a unborn I was really annoyed about their lack of understanding of their sick child. If I saw one there must be thousands around the country doing the same thing.
We never had injections for child hood illness but my Mother was there when I was laid on the settee with comfort and the knowledge to look after me and my siblings. They wouldnt live long lost in a jungle nowadays.
No basic survival knowledge.

Re: As seen through our grandparents eyes

I also think our grandparents would cope well in our "modern" world. My grandparents (and others) have been through two World Wars and survived for starters. After the sort of experiences and hardships they must have had to endure I would say they would be equipped to handle anything. The modern way of life is a doddle.

Re: As seen through our grandparents eyes

As we approach the 11th Day I wonder if I would have coped in my Grandfathers` time. One was gassed and died before I was born,the other taught me to play cribbage and sometimes spoke of WW1.

"I told this boy to keep his head down,He didn`t and bang his head was blown off"

Re: As seen through our grandparents eyes

OLD GIT, you have introduced an interesting point by reversing the topic.

My maternal grandfather was gassed in WW1 , sent home then hurried back to the front & was then taken prisoner and mistreated horribly for 4 years as a POW. He returned in 1919 and never really worked again, my gran was the breadwinner.

But, despite all this, if he had been mowed down "going over the top" from the trenches, my mother would have never have been born, nor would I or any of my 12 descendants.

Our forebears were a hardy crew.

Re: As seen through our grandparents eyes

JUst as an aside, I commissioned research into my grandfathers military service. The finished report ran to 91 pages, including the history of his regiment (Royal Warwicks " Reg), actual daily reports from the front & other stuff.
It was expensive, but I was doing it for my family history archive , worth every penny.

Re: As seen through our grandparents eyes

I have often thought that today's young. Would have no idea how to cope in the times of our grandparents.
They have no idea about hard times, and what it is like to have no money. People today think they are poor, and on hard times, but will probably have, a big TV, cigs and beer, PS3 and lap tops.

In our grandparent days, people had newspaper for a table cloth. Sheep's head stew, Tin baths, outside toilets. Even the best bedding went in the pawn shop before pay day, to buy the tea. To be bought back on pay day. There was no dole in those day.

Even I can remember the old army blankets on the bed and every coat in the house to keep warm at night. Waking up to icicle on the inside of the windows it was that cold at night.
We really are a spoilt generation, when you look back in time.
I know people are on hard times now, but nothing like the hard times of our grandparents.

Re: As seen through our grandparents eyes

I think that most of today's youth would be totally lost even in our parent's day - let alone our grandparents'. If they don't have an 'app' (can't even spell application) for their mobile phone, they're stuck.

Our Grandparents would just tell today's youth to 'get a grip' and get on with it.

Re: As seen through our grandparents eyes

OG and Robert, that makes three of who's grandfathers were gassed in WW1, My mothers father was sent home and died soon afterwards, I never knew him, my Mother always said I was the image of him, God help him.