I read a ton of Reminisce magazines, it’s one of my favorites. That might seem an odd choice for someone my age, since the stories are mostly from the early to mid-1900s, decades before I was even born.
There is an inexplicable connection I feel with older generations. Where some might see wrinkles and wobbly legs, I see a young strapping man or a woman who dreamed of her future.
Where some hear endless stories of the past, I hear the moments that created a life.
I see the person behind the aged face, the eyes that still sparkle with wild spunk, or mist over with memories of the events of history that scarred.
Recently, it really hit me the tragedy of not building real relationships with seniors and youth. The stuff kids read about in 20th-century history class? The people who lived it are STILL here!
Youth might be caught up in tech relationships and video games, missing the wonder of people who are the real heroes. The people who made mistakes that don’t need to be repeated, hoping for attentive ears.
Seniors might forget they have stuff to connect with younger folks and assume no interaction is needed.
Not true! All generations need each other. Are you involved with youth? With seniors?
Here are a few ideas to help bridge the divide:
Game nights (old school like Euchre, or something new for seniors like Apples to Apples)
Hot dogs and horseshoes cookouts
Real-Life History night, stories and pictures
Tech nights, teens help usher in new help for the elderly
Visit shut-ins together
Teens help the seniors around the house with stuff they need strong bodies for
Elderly step in for missing grandparents and come to events
Sentimental journey night, music and dances from an age of instruments
Old movie night, share with kids classic humor with wit and laughter
We can connect with our communities, gaps of far away or absent family can be filled by adopting new friends!
People who it might seem we have nothing in common with, find out we aren’t so different after all.
This guy? He has stories to tell. And chances are, he’d like to hear what the younger generation is interested in.
We can bridge the generation gap, one relationship at a time.
{my father in law♥}
If you need some conversation starters, I’ve created a free PDF file with 50 questions to help bridge generational gaps. Click here if you’d like to see it.
Your turn- Have you struggled to find a connection with age groups besides your own?
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