Old Wisdow is at Home

Old Wisdom is at Home

It is hard to imagine when you have to separate from your family simply because they can not take care of you anymore or you do not have any relatives. A few days ago, I watched the news which announced that every year the number of seniors that live in nursing homes increased in this country. In America, sometimes it is normal that seniors live there because their family does not have time to take care of them. Also, the seniors may find more affection in those places. However, the Mexican people believe in the familiar union, so most of Mexican families try to remain together. When I was young I met my four grandparents and I learned many things from them. One of the things was dealing with and respecting the family. Mexicans have the tradition to look after the older members of family. My grandparents taught me how it is important live with seniors, and it is one of the most important, Mexican traditions.

Mexican seniors are respected a lot of because they know many things and they can teach their descendants. Sharing experiences is one of the reasons the grandmother and grandfather lives with their sons or daughters. Before my grandmother died, she lived with us for several years. She taught my mother and me how to make traditional handcrafts. This knowledge helped my mother open a store where she sold many items that she made herself. I also remember when my sister was sick and the doctor’s prescription did not cure her. My Mama Grande that was how we called her, made herb tea and my sister got better. Moreover, she was the best cook. She was always in the kitchen helping my mother to prepare the meals. How I could forget the chicken soup which she prepared on those rainy days. The seniors often have a lot of experience and wisdom which make the life easier.

Often, the seniors need to love of their family when they grow old which is another reason they should receive attention of their progeny. Experts in psychology say that people who stay alone even though they are younger, they are more prone to depression or suicide. Mexican people prefer to live with their grandparents than take them to a nursing home. Frequently, if one of both dies, the other would live with one of the descendants. Because they need talk with someone else, they should not live alone. In my country, if somebody takes their seniors nursing home, it appears they do not care about them. In these cases, the old people think that they are nuisance to their family. My Mama Grande shared many things with me before her die. One of the things was that she did not like to be alone because she always wanted to talk with someone. She remembered my grandfather which made her sad.

In addition, the most important reasons for grandparents should be stay with their children because they always will be part of the family, but not only when they are able to help. Sometimes old people are a good support to their son or daughter and they always will take care of them. However, when a grandfather become unable to do many things like walk, clean or eat themselves, they become a nuisance to family members. Consequently, the relatives or progeny do not care about them. I know some seniors at nursing home are happy because they have created a family with others. Nevertheless, my family thinks that every member of the family deserves love, attention and care until her death. These customs unit the family more, and I believe that these thoughts are common among Mexican families.

I know that family is one of the most important issues in all countries, but it is hard to follow you own customs in another country which is not yours. However, some Mexican families try to forget the traditions and customs. My family has grown a through our grandparents’ experience, and I learned that the wisdom is at home. Moreover, it does not matter if the seniors do not have kinship with you because they can teach you a lot of things. Nevertheless, the immigrant people often assimilate customs of the countries they live; after all, every person is free to keep or give up his own background, but his custom of watching over our elders will always be a part of my new American life.