There is a reason why advice columnists get bombarded with questions about the intergenerational communication gap. When we grew up letter writing was how we communicated. A letter could reach us in a matter of weeks, even days, from anywhere in the world.
It’s no wonder that grandparents today feel neglected when letters and gifts aren’t acknowledged, but the fault is not all one sided.
Mail crossing the ocean on ships or even the Pony Express were all part of our history, but we need to acknowledge the new “pony” in the room. Methods of communication have changed.
It makes me sad when I hear seniors reject change. They not only hurt themselves but their family members as well. We need to do better, if we don’t want to continue alienating ourselves from family and friends. It is time to embrace new ideas.
Advice columnists are no longer offering sympathy and pats on the back, but instead are suggesting that the Grands need to make some concessions. It’s time for seniors to let go of their feelings of resentment and hurt and try to figure it all out.
Senior citizens, as a group, are often on the negative side of the “digital divide.” Because of the way we were brought up, we are not inherently, dependent on the internet, but it is here to stay.
To stay connected with children and grandchildren it will be necessary to keep up. Families today are busy in ways that we can only imagine. They literally don’t have time to sit down and write a letter or engage in lengthy phone conversations. It’s a shame, because they are missing out on something really lovely, but it is what it is. It doesn’t mean that they don’t care.
Reach out. Learn how to e-mail and text. Grandparents who are on-line, which is now about 53% of people over 65, can have it all. Living apart doesn’t have to be lonely. Sign up for a class at the library or your Senior Center and learn how to use your new phone or other digital devices. Keep in touch.
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