My life does not naturally have a lot of senior citizens in it and I know that I am fairly typical. So many of us live far away from extended family and we live lives that can be incredibly homogenous in terms of age demographics–our best friends are our age or have children the same age as we do, we work with people who are generally the same age, and we tend to do activities and socialize with people who are in a similar place in life. We might be missing out on the wisdom and perspective that come with interacting with those who have lived longer than we have.
Whenever I have a conversation with a senior citizen–whether it is on the bus, or more in depth with an older family member or person–I always come away with a fresh perspective and feeling more at ease about myself and my life. There is something about having lived many decades that makes many people more open, less judgmental, and willing to talk and share their life experiences. They want to talk about where they have been and what they know, and I really need to hear it.
As single parents, having a good array of individuals who are different ages can be extremely beneficial to ourselves and our families. We can learn from those who have gone before and I have found that senior citizens have been through so much–many have been divorced or widowed or have been single parents themselves and they have so much wisdom, understanding and tips to share. I need to hear those tips and feel that understanding! Look around your world and your support team and see if you even have any senior citizens in it–if not, or even if you only have one or two, you might find that talking to more senior citizens can add depth, understanding, perspective and compassion to your life as a single parent.