In these new and – as everyone says – ‘unprecedented’ times, we are all stuck indoors, with a lot of time on our hands. I don’t know about you, but I am watching a lot more television than usual.

This has made me reminisce about all the good programmes I have watched over the years. I was thinking that the people responsible for planning programmes should put on repeats of some wonderful series from decades past.

It has also reminded me of the children’s TV I have been exposed to over my life. Would you like to take a trip down memory lane with me?

Children’s Television When We Were Children

In my own case, there was very little TV at all.

Growing up as a small child in Washington, DC, in the late 1940s, there was only one TV show for kids (or perhaps the only one I knew about, but I am sure there weren’t many at all). It was called The Howdy-Doody Show, and all I can remember is the beautiful (as I saw her) Princess SummerFall WinterSpring. I wanted to be her when I grew up.

My parents didn’t have a TV, so every day the show was on, I would walk up three doors in my street to my friend’s house where we would watch it together, sitting side by side on the floor. I suspect is was actually pretty terrible.

Anyone else remember this programme?

By the early 1950s, there were more shows, including one where you could submit your artwork and win a prize, with your name then read out on the programme. Although I always was (and remain) a terrible artist, I submitted something and won a prize. That sort of thing stays with you.

Just as children’s TV was really taking off, I was growing too old for it. I do recall The Micky Mouse Show, which involved real children. I saw this occasionally when looking after younger children and still remember the music and the marching around.

Later Children’s TV

As we all know, television programmes for children mushroomed over time. It wasn’t until I had small children, in the 1970s and 80s that I took any interest. There was a wealth of choice, including some fairly awful cartoons.

But without doubt, the best of these programmes was Sesame Street. I watched this regularly with both my children and felt I knew it well. It was genuinely fun to watch by adults, as well as by children.

Indeed, not long ago, I was writing to a friend and apologising for making a mistake. And quick as a flash, the song came to me, “Everyone makes mistakes and so do I!”.

Anyone who watched Sesame Street for any time would remember this. It was sung by Big Bird. I can still visualise him (her?) singing it, rocking to the beat with enthusiasm. I can certainly sing the tune.

Many of the characters remain with me still. Big Bird is easy to remember. Also, Bert and Ernie, with their philosophical discussions. And Miss Piggie, who was memorable, but much less interesting.

But my favourite was Kermit the Frog, singing “,” a sad song for all people who feel they are somehow misfits. I watched it recently, and it remains incredibly poignant. As one of the comments below the video says, “It made me laugh and cry at the same time.” Do have a listen for yourself.

I’m not sure there has ever been better children’s TV in terms of style as well as content. Certainly, Peppa Pig, which is the only programme I watched with my grandchildren, was very anodyne in comparison.

The Influence of TV

There was a time when people used to worry about the influence of television on children. I don’t feel that it had much influence on me, although my generation had much less to watch, and it is difficult to know in any case.

I never worried much about its influence on my children, although that doesn’t mean I was right. Nowadays, people worry about computer games instead. But that is another story.

In any case, I suspect there are whole cohorts of older people who remember the same TV shows from their own childhood or that of their children or even grandchildren.

Now that we must stay home for our own safety, perhaps we can look for those TV shows we liked the best and watch them again.

(This article was initially published by SixtyandMe (see https://sixtyandme.com/watching-more-tv-these-days-lets-remember-childrens-tv-programmes-from-our-past/

Do you remember when you thought your parents were so out of date, it was almost embarrassing? They didn’t know anything about the music you listened to. And all sorts of words that seemed really sophisticated to you were unknown to them.

Well, the world turns, as we know, and suddenly you may find that you aren’t in much a different situation.

There are numerous ways in which I feel no longer up to date. Here, I want to talk about words. Before you read further and panic, there is a glossary below.

A Whole New Vocabulary

I knew that young people like to use words differently. What I did not know was how much they like to do so. I asked my 13-year-old grandson for a few examples and was overwhelmed by his response.

These may be international or limited to England or, indeed, South London teenagers. I have subsequently been told that some are quite old, yet still unknown to me.

Are there any peng foods out there? Or are they all butters?

Do you have friends who are extra? Are they sick? Are you ever salty? Or gassed?

There are many more, but this gives you an idea.

Yes, it is hard to keep up. Certainly for me. Sometimes I feel I come from another planet. Perhaps you are doing better.

Acronyms

I always knew there were acronyms, very popular on social media and to some extent texts. I have used some in my time, like FYI, which goes back to working in an office in the 1960s, or ETA, which is very old.

I have even learned a few new ones in recent years, such as LOL and FOMO.

Again, I asked a younger friend who uses Facebook a lot for a few examples and was taken aback by the variety. She told me about IRL and IKR and BAE.

I asked a different friend for advice last week, nothing to do with this article, and he signed off HTH. I had to write to ask what that meant.

Do any of these mean anything at all to you? If so, you are doing well!

Emojis

I don’t know whether to call emojis ‘words’ or something else. As a writer, I don’t like them, as it is with words that we can best specify precisely what we want to say. I have certainly never used an emoji in my life.

But I do receive them. Sometimes, I get one attached to a text message, and I have no idea what emotion it is supposed to convey. How are we supposed to know?

Do You Try to Keep Up?

We older people have a choice. We can accept our position as oldies and get on with our lives.

Or we can try to fit in. Which can lead to problems. David Cameron, when he was Prime Minister not that long ago, famously used LOL in a text, thinking it meant Lots of Love. But no, it meant Laugh Out Loud. The world tittered, but he had my sympathy.

I know where I belong. I have not heard of the singers who are well known to my children, not to mention grandchildren. Nor do I have the vocabulary to distinguish the multiple forms of what we used to call simply ‘pop’ music.

Newspapers are awash with stories of the antics of celebrities whose names are unknown to me. Very odd.

Once you get used to your place in this particular hierarchy, it is fine.

And Remember

Our grandchildren cannot easily imagine being old themselves. But we know it will happen, even if we are not around to see it. And we know that they will suddenly find themselves out of date. Good luck to them.

As I wrote above, the world keeps turning.

A Basic Glossary

Peng                     good looking or good tasting food

Butters                 the opposite to peng

Extra                    being over-dramatic about everything

Sick                      something that is ‘awesome’

Salty                    being angry or sore loser

Gassed                very proud of yourself, really happy

FYI                       for your information

ETA                      expected time of arrival

LOL                     laugh out loud

FOMO                 fear of missing out

IRL                      in real life

IKR                      I know, right?

TFW                    that feeling when

BAE                     significant other (may come from Before All Else, but derivation disputed)

HTH                   hope that helps

I would like to thank my grandson, James, for his help with this article.  It was first published by Sixtyandme (see https://sixtyandme.com/as-a-boomer-do-you-feel-out-of-date-in-todays-modern-world/)

This article was first written before the coronavirus struck the world. It has even more cogency now.

Death and dying do not make for a jolly subject of any conversation, but it is part of life. And none of us is getting any younger. Is death or dying something you think about very much?

You may prefer to think it will never happen and leave it at that. But if you are one of those people who like to prepare themselves for what is coming down the line, you might want to give it a passing glance from time to time.

As We Grow Older

I am not obsessed with death, but it does cross my mind on occasion – and probably increasingly. Before I was 60, I rarely gave it much thought at all. The possibility of dying seemed almost as remote as it did when I was a child, which is to say it was over a very distant horizon.

Now that I am in the second half of my 70s, I have to face the fact that my remaining years are increasingly limited. The statistics are not brilliant as you grow older, for obvious reasons. And, with each quickly passing year, they only get worse.

None of us knows when we’ll die, of course, but it is time to begin to recognise the situation.

Yes, some of us live well into our 90s – and centenarians are becoming much more common. I even have good health and good genes, my parents having lived to age 90 and 91 respectively.

Yet, these are details. The truth is, we will grow older and frailer and will have to face the end, sooner or later. In the words of a young woman living with AIDS, quoted in my book on the subject some years ago, “You haven’t got forever any more.”

Dying

Is it the moment of dying that worries you?

Although some people die in great distress, the much greater likelihood is that you will do so fairly peacefully. The profession of palliative care is getting increasingly clever at keeping people pain free. In the coming years, it can only get better.

I haven’t reached the stage of thinking where I would want to be – or, indeed, where I am likely to be.

Nor do I often think about my own funeral. Occasionally, when I hear a particularly beautiful piece of music, I will say casually, “You can play that at my funeral.” But in fact, it would be better played at a funeral I was attending during my lifetime as I would actually hear it.

Being Gone

Or is it the fact of no longer living that worries you? Of no longer being there to enjoy the many pleasures of life? Or no longer being there for your family and friends, some of whom may rely on you?

These are undoubtedly ‘heavy’ issues, which you may want to prepare for.

In fact, we do make many preparations without thinking of them as such. The urge to ‘downsize’ stems partly from the wish to make our passing easier for those who must administer your things. Perhaps you have done this for someone else and it came home to you how very complex such matters are.

Visits to long-lost relations – or friends you don’t see very often – may also be stimulated by the thought of doing so before it is ‘too late’. Such thoughts may remain un-articulated but are nonetheless real for everyone concerned.

Death of Loved Ones

If anything, I think less about my own death and more about the possible death of my husband, as statistically, this is the more likely first event.

Having been married almost all our adult lives, it is scary to think about being alone. Those of you who are already widowed will doubtless know what I mean.

Writing About Death

Although I really am not obsessed with death, I have written two books dealing with two different aspects of it.

One was about young people with HIV and AIDS, all of whom were dying because there had been no cure back then. It is not a morbid book at all, but it is an honest one about people facing an early death.

I was impressed with their resilience and called it Wise Before Their Time, because that is what I felt they were.

The second is about people who work with the dying. I had worked as a volunteer in a hospice and found it fascinating that so many people could go to work each day to help others die. I interviewed nurses, doctors, chaplains of various faiths, administrators, and even a very reflective chef.

I called it Life in a Hospice, because this is what it was about – the living before the dying.

Preparation

I recently watched a TV interview with Sir Ian McKellen, who always struck me as a very thoughtful man. I also have a soft spot for him as he wrote a terrific Foreword for my book about people with AIDS.

Himself in his 80s, he said he did think about death quite often and had even planned his own funeral. (And noted that he thought it sounded like such a good occasion, he wondered if he could plan an early dress rehearsal so he could attend).

He surmised that old people thought about death a lot, because it was a form of preparation. When the time actually came, it probably helped them to feel that they are ready.

(This was initially published by SixtyandMe. See https://sixtyandme.com/thinking-about-dying-doesnt-have-to-be-morbid/)

Usually, when anyone writes about the joys of bed, they are thinking of one of two things: the pleasures of a good night’s sleep or, alternatively, of sex. I am a great believer in both, but I am not writing about either here.

No, bed means more than either of these activities.

Taking a Rest

First, lets face it. As we grow older, we also grow tired. Some days I have plenty of energy, but some days I have very little. I get out of bed in the morning and immediately wish I were back there. Or half-way through the day, I need a bit of a lie-down.

I find a number of friends also say the same, especially the older ones.

For the first time since we were of pre-school age, some of us begin to take a nap – either every day or now and then. I am reluctant to take a proper (sleeping) nap, because it leaves me unable to get to sleep at night. I envy those who can do so with impunity.

But there is nonetheless a great benefit in a rest. I recall, as a small child, being told I had to spend an hour lying on my bed and was allowed to do anything except (which I called “be-cept”) reading.

Now, we can read, we can listen to the radio or to audio books (I favour programmes stored for this purpose on my iPod).

Or we can just lie there and think our own thoughts. It is a very peaceful time and can be very restorative. The trick, of course, is not to fall asleep!

Recent research seems to suggest that people who take occasional naps have a notably lower risk of heart-related disease and may live longer. I am not a medical doctor and cannot comment on this, but I found it interesting.

A Cuddle and a Chat

The other use of a bed is also restorative, but in a different way. You lie down with your partner, with no sexual intentions of any kind, and just give each other time to discuss anything that is on either of your minds.

It is a good time to review ideas, mull over plans for the future, and just explore how you are feeling about life in general.

Although it may result in some general or even particular decisions, it should not feel purposeful. On the contrary, it is time to let your mind wander over anything, including your relationship.

Lying down with someone is a very intimate activity, even when nothing physical is involved. Being prone on a bed seems to make you let down your guard, so that you are more willing to talk easily.

Sometimes, the fact that you can’t actually see each other makes it less intimidating than sitting at a table or in a living room. It is not surprising that lying down is the chosen posture for people in some forms of psychotherapy.

These chats can happen early in the morning, when you are just waking up, or, indeed, at night before going to sleep. But they can also happen in the middle of the day, when it feels even more special.

The older I get, the more I value this form of ‘together’ time.

Other Family Members

Interestingly, it can also be a time of intimacy with other family members. One grandson, who spends roughly one night a week at our house, loves to climb into bed with Granddad in the morning. (Long ago, said Granddad agreed to sleep in the nearby spare room to allay any worries in the night.)

This early morning time has become one of many rituals, when they talk about anything and everything, and is sadly missed if for any reason (like waking up too late to have the time before school) it is impossible to accommodate.

An Indian woman in my book about grandmothers’ lives also describes such moments with her grandchildren as very special: “You can’t buy that happiness anywhere,” she says.

This was initially published by sixtyandme.  See https://sixtyandme.com/the-many-joys-lying-in-bed-can-bring-to-a-senior-woman/