This I Believe

Ashley - Kent, Washington
Entered on April 17, 2007
Age Group: Under 18


I believe that the elderly people in this world should be respected more. For they have more knowledge than the young minds that are being molded by the pressuring society today. They have gone through life and have made their mistakes, such as my grandpa. He was born in 1922 and has seen many tragedies and patterns in history that our world carelessly decides to repeat. He was before the telephone and the TV, he was part of World War II, and has seen a great many changes from his generation to ours. My grandma was born a few years after my grandpa and she tells me what it was like during the Great Depression and what life, in general, was like back then. These people have lived through the history that we read in text books! These are only two of the many people that have stories our school curriculum doesn’t cover. If you don’t listen to their stories, then a crucial part of history will slowly fade away.

Nowadays we seem to put the elders to the side, or send them to nursing homes because we are to busy to care for them. But I believe we should embrace them and take in all they have to say because we can learn so much from them. When I was a little kid my grandma and grandpa used to baby-sit me. They were basically my other set of parents. I remember when my grandma used to play basketball, tag, and jump rope with my cousins and I. This lasted until she was diagnosed with cancer. She taught me manners and had a very effective way of disciplining me. I remember my grandparents had a swing bolted to the basement ceiling. I was small at the time and couldn’t swing by myself, so I had to have someone push me. My grandpa would come down and he would start pulling me back, but I would have to count for him first. I would say, “One for the money, two for the show, three to get ready, and four to go.” As I said the last phrase he would let go and I would start laughing while I swung. These kinds of memories wouldn’t be instilled in my mind if my grandparents hadn’t been in my life.

I believe grandparents love you unconditionally. They want to be part of your life and experience your joys and your sorrows. I hear from friends that their grandparents are just old and boring. These kinds of statements disappoint me because even though grandparents aren’t capable of certain activities, they are still energetic and fun to be around. Just play a game of cards or find something that interests them, you will actually be surprised at how much fun it can be. My grandparents are getting older and tire easily but their personality and heart remain the same. I believe grandparents are loving, fun, and wise. I am touched that they are apart of my life because I wouldn’t be the person I am today without them. This I believe!