Madison Mackay

FHS 2400- Bergen

U4 Essay 2
QUESTION
OPTION F: OLDER PERSON INTERVIEW
Sit down with an older person (Grandparent type) and ask them to talk about
the positive and negative aspects of family life in the "olden" days. Some
interesting areas to explore might be the role of women in the family, views
on the child's role in the family, the family's view of divorce and divorced
people, their perceptions of people who chose to stay single, or any other
topic that seems pertinent. Summarize your conversation.
ANSWER
I spoke with my grandparents about what it was like to live back when
they were young. We spoke about how people played different roles within
the family as well as their views on different social customs.
First we talked about gender roles within the family. They said that at
that time the women didnt work out of the home, unless they were a
secretary or a teacher. Women were the homemakers and the babysitters, and
they typically had less schooling then the men. Men were the breadwinners
and had more education. Men were independent whereas women were

dependent. Women typically disciplined the children and the men were more
lenient and gave the children what they wanted.
We also talked about the childrens roles within the family. Children
worked as a source of income and had to work very hard in school. My
grandpa worked on a farm and my grandma helped with housework. They
said that back then the children were much better behaved than they are
nowadays.
Next we talked about social norms and taboos. Divorce was rare and
was generally not accepted, but my grandparents said they didnt think
anything less of people that were divorced. Gay people were considered
immoral and were kept closeted. When it came to single people who chose
to stay unmarried my grandparents said they felt sorry for them. The women
that were still single were considered to be old maids and the men were
thought of as being queer. They said that it was very unusual to not be
independent or responsible right out of high school.
We talked about their fictive kin, which is the extension of
kinshiplike attributes to non-blood relationships (Strong & Cohen, 2014, p.
552). They said that these relationships were very important and they would
always go to these people for advice. Apparently girls would not have

sleepovers but boys would. My grandpa said that this is when they would
raise hell and get in trouble. He said even though they did some stupid
stuff he got some really great memories out of it.
Finally we talked about what they did for entertainment. Listening to
the radio was something they liked to do as well as being outside and
playing table games, like cards. Family get-togethers were more common
because there was no telephone. They also enjoyed going to the movies and
that is where they primarily saw what was happening in the world. Because
newspapers were just local, movie theaters would play the news before the
movie would start.
Life back when my grandparents were growing up was like a
completely different world. Technology today has really changed the way
most of this stuff is done now. I am glad that I was able to talk to my
grandparents about their lives because it makes me appreciate all that I have
now.

Works Cited
Strong, B, & Cohen, T. F. (2014). The marriage and family experience:
Intimate relationships in a changing society (12th ed.). Belmont, CA:
Wadsworth.