I've noticed a change in how I interact now with elderly people in my life and I think it comes largely from my husband's influence. Yes, he is from a country with a strong Chinese culture, so that certainly has a significant effect on how he thinks about and interacts with elderly people.
As an example, I have watched my interactions with my grandma change for the better, and I have observed that the number of friendships I have with people who are part of my grandma's generation or my parents' generation has improved as well.
To put some context on this I'll describe what I saw in Rex while traveling in Taiwan a year ago.
When we went to visit his grandma, Nai-Nai as she is called, we had gone out together for a walk through the town. Since her eyesight is bad and tripping is a potential danger, he held Nai-Nai's hand and carried her handbag for her. Even when we were sitting together in her apartment, Rex began rubbing or massaging her head while he was sitting on the couch and she was on a stool in front of him. He stayed a night in her home during our stay and asked her questions about when she got married. Nai-Nai was Rex's main caretaker during his first three years. Nai-Nai is also treated like a queen by the cousins, aunts, uncles, etc. in Rex's family.
While there is so much I could write about Nai-Nai's wedding experience (it's very interesting, she had an arranged marriage) I will return to the topic of my relationship with my own grandma.
Rex always encourages me to take time to visit Grandma, or if she needs a car ride somewhere he tries to find a way that we can accommodate her. I can feel like a burden allowing Grandma to feed me a meal after I give her a car ride, but considering that it is an opportunity to build the relationship better I have been accepting her invitation for lunch when its offered. I also feel that our relationship has become more candid with more genuine interactions between us. It really has been quite rewarding to be able to see these types of relationships develop on a deeper level.
No comments:
Post a Comment