Interview: Ms. Rachel E. C. Hawkins

Ms. Rachel Hawkins is an English teacher from SPH KV. She teaches English for seventh, eighth and ninth grade. She is a 25-year-old Caucasian American.

 How is your relationship between you and your grandparents? 

I don't really talk to them. My parents update them on what I'm doing, I don't have direct contact with them. My grandfather has heightened dementia, so he probably doesn't even remember I'm here.

 What is your favorite memory of you with your grandparents? 

 With my dad's parents, my favorite memory would be just sitting and talking with my grandmother. I did most of the talking, and she just listened; she was a very good listener. With my mom's parents, I guess it would probably be talking to my grandmother about our family history. She knew a lot about our family's past.

 Do you often meet your grandparents? 

 When I am in the States, I see my mom's mother more, because she lives a lot closer to our house compared to my dad's father.  

 What is your relationship with your parents? 

 To be honest, it hasn't really changed that much. I’d say it's still pretty good. Being so far from my parents hasn't bothered too much, since I went to an out-of-state university. So, I'm used to it.

 Are you aware a lot of grandparents/elderly people in other countries are not treated well?

 Yes, and that's one thing my parents have done really well at not doing.

 What do you think about the way Western grandparents/elders are treated in other countries?
 Well like I said before, my parents have tried to work with their parents' failing health, but they also try and take it on with their siblings so that my grandmother has what she needs, and my grandfather is taken care by special people trained to take care people with his sort of condition. But I know that isn't the case across the country. I think in smaller communities across America, family is prioritized a lot more. However, if you look at the country as whole that's definitely not case.

 Why do you think grandparents/elders are treated that way in those countries? 

 Um, a lot has to do with the individualistic nature of the cultures. Western culture normally considers the elderly people as 'burdens' in society. They're just thought to no longer help the community, and therefore serve no beneficial purpose. And I think selfishness plays a part in this too. With Eastern cultures, the elderly is thought to be very high, and are respected by everyone around them.

 If you had the power to change this, what would you do? 

For one, I think the biggest, like, hindrance we instill in people at a young age is that eventually we retire. Mankind ins instilled with a desire to work, so when they stop working, it's pretty miserable for them. This is especially true for a lower-middle class family like mine. Also, I think it's a lack of respect, and I am guilty of this, so I think the best thing would be to stop glorifying retirement. But I'd also just try to remind everyone of the important role the elderly played in our lives while we were growing up, so that people would treat them with more respect and care.

 What advice would you give people who have bad relationships with their grandparents/elders? 

 I would say you can't control their attitude, but you can control your own. Being more patient and sometimes knowing when to let go, in a sense, um, and that would depend on the situation and what the grandparents are doing, but yeah, control your own attitude.