When I was first losing weight and trying to get fit, there were two music videos that I found inspiring. This is the positive one:
Madonna was 40 years old when this was shot, and a new mom. Ok, I couldn’t afford personal trainers and dietitians, but I could watch what I ate and work out.
In Closing: scandal; what about S-Mart?; depressing graphic; some people need to grow up; this could be a problem; history we don’t talk about; and Nipplegate .
I get so tired of being angry at politicians, banks, and the clueless. I wanted to bring you a happy story today. How about this one, about the First Grandmother — or FGOTUS — settling in to White House living and helping raise 2 adorable (if perhaps chubby*) grandchildren while their parents do important work. Sasha and Malia are very lucky indeed that their Grandmother is around to help out — and tell old family stories that might otherwise have been forgotten.
The Obamas have yet another example of an “intergenerational” or “multigenerational” household, where 3 or even more generations of one family live under one roof. It’s not a new thing; in fact it used to sort of be the norm. Newlyweds often lived with Mom and Dad until they got together the money to put a downpayment on a house. And if Gramma or Aunt Frannie happened to be around to provide childe care, or teach Mom how to raise kids and run a household? A bonus. Please note that Grampa and Uncle Ted were rarely available for regular child care, but could usually be counted on for “fun” activities like camping. It wasn’t uncommon for Momma to move in with the kids when Daddy passed away, particularly in Asian cultures.
But there is something new going on. Unlike the Obamas’ situation, many modern intergenerational households are not entirely by choice. Multiple generations of a family are often consolidating to one address out of necessity. Someone has gotten evicted or foreclosed upon. Somebody has so much student loan debt they can’t qualify for even a crappy apartment. Somebody is seriously ill and needs the stability of not worrying about the rent — having a potential caregiver is a welcome side effect. Somebody is between jobs, with little hope of getting a full time one anytime soon.
It will be very interesting to see what data the Census is able to pull together about these families as they gather the official 2010 data. This is what they found back in 1998. *
As happy as I am that the First Family’s intergenerational lifestyle is working out, it just doesn’t reflect reality for most of us.
* Strictly speaking I am old enough to be a grandmother, but boy am I glad I’m not!
** Excuse me, I actually think BMI means something, but it does not directly apply to children! Children have different proportions than adults.