Grandparents

They don't look like they used to!

I'm sure that I'm not the only one who has noticed, but Grandmas and Grandpas all over the place have gotten a make-over. Gone are the days where Grandpa is outside doing yard work and building toys and shelves while Grandma is inside making a delicious meal in the midst of a spotless house. It isn't a given these days to walk into Grandma and Grandpa's house to immediately smell decadent homemade chocolate chip cookies or to be able to let your child play in a room that is not only completely safe for him or her, but has plenty of toys and movies for the kids to enjoy. Books. There were always great books to read at Grandma and Grandpa's house. Church Mouse books, Bible stories, Little House on the Prairie. Great books. Grandma would even sit and read them to you. No longer will you sit around the table long after the meal is over just to hear all the stories Grandpa has. Stories of his childhood and time spent in the military. War stories that never ended in rantings about politics or the president, just ended with how proud you should be to be an American.

Gone. Gone. GONE.

Nowadays Grandma and Grandpa often don't live in the same house because they quit their marriage when their kids are in high school. Actually, You might have eight grandparents instead of four if they all found love a second time. Chances are Grandpa is still working 9-5, so he isn't home building things yet and Grandma was never home baking cookies or cleaning the home. Grandma sure can buy a great box of chips ahoy, though. There is no special place in the house for you to play, no safe area where you can roam without getting hurt, eating poison or electrocuting yourself. Grandma and Grandpa's house could very well be a dangerous place if your mom and dad look away for 30 seconds. The stories are no longer told, the younger generations will never know the history of the previous ones.

It breaks my heart.

I know that times change, people change and the world moves on. This isn't the 1950's (or even the 1990's) anymore. We live in a different world our kids live in a different world and that is okay. I guess. There are some great things about the 21st century. The internet is a great tool that allows the world to be at our children's fingertips, they can learn anything they want with that incredible tool. Technology has made is easier to keep in touch with relatives who might not live so close. Wonderful. There are many wonderful things that have taken place of the wonderful things that I grew up knowing and loving. Who is to say it is better or worse? I don't know.

I do know that it does break my heart a little to know that my children will never have the same kind of innocent, simple memories with grandparents that I had.

And the beat goes on. . .