Me and My Grandmother～ The Interaction Between Children and the Elderly ～同志社女子高等学校
同志社高等学校２年

田麻里子

Since my parents both worked full time, I used to spend most of my timeafter school with my grandmother. Some of my fondest childhood memories
involve cooking, gardening, and painting with her. She taught me many
important lessons. One thing I learned from her is to appreciate the littlethings in life. She grew up in Hiroshima, and she was 9 when the WWII
ended. She had to take care of her three little brothers when she was inelementary school. She says it was a hard time, but she always looked forthings to appreciate, such as her family and friends. She also taught me toalways trying to learn new recipes, make new friends, and travel to newplaces. She is my teacher, my role model, and most importantly, my grandma.
Recently, as I was talking with her, she mentioned that spending timewith me has kept her active. In fact, at the age of 83, she is one of the mostenergetic people I know. She goes to many different gatherings with friends
every day, like swimming, painting, and crafting. She said that interactingwith a young child like me was very important for her to stay active andhealthy.
This made me think about the benefits of the interaction between young
children and the elderly, which can benefit both. The children can learn fromthe older generation, and the elderly can gain energy from the children andprevent diseases such as dementia. There is another benefit. Today, there is aseparation between generations. The young see the elderly as annoying, andthe elderly see the young as lazy. This gap will become greater if these twogenerations don’t come together. We must start communicating.
However,sincemanychildren

thesedays

don’t

live

with

their

grandparents, they cannot spend much time with the elderly. As a solution tothis problem, I suggest the local government host events for children tointeract with the elderly living in the area. One idea is to host a gathering as

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高校生―Ｄ部門

try new things and to step out of my comfort zone. Although she is 83, she isa part of moral education classes in elementary schools. The gathering should
consist of activities that both parties can enjoy, such as singing, crafting orcooking. Through these activities, the children and the elderly can talk andbond. Another idea is letter exchange between elementary school children andthe local elders. The children can learn how to write letters in class and send
the letters to senior citizens in the area.
Also, there are some small things we can do as individuals. One is to talkwith anyone around you who is a senior citizen. You could even organize agathering with their friends and your friends. You can attend festivals andgatherings in the neighborhood, or even just say hi to the old lady watering aflower on your way to school. All of them count as an action to promote
communications between different generations. The important thing is toappreciate the people around you and step out of your comfort zones, just like
高校生―Ｄ部門

my grandma taught me.
Today, many people see senior citizens as a burden on society. However,they are an important part of it. They are the generation who made Japan
what it is now. By interacting with them, children can learn many importantlessons, just like I did from my grandmother. For the elderly, spending timewith children is a very effective way to make their lives meaningful andinteresting. Furthermore, with these kinds of communication between different
generations, the whole society will be able to unite as one. So, let’s take action
so that children and the elderly can become each other’s heroes.

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