Big Bird

Big Bird is a gift for all ages, and a symbol of age esteem.  When our four year old granddaughter and I met him at Busch Gardens, Florida, we were both equally thrilled.  - And we both wanted our photo with her!*

When I met her I said, “Oh, Big Bird, you have been my idol forever!”, later to discover that she was created in 1969.  She represents the  generation between our granddaughter and me.  So this is truly an intergenerational photo.

Big Bird is definitely a friend of AgeEsteem® and a gift for all ages.

• Big Bird makes you laugh, without even speaking.
• All generations love him.
• His goal is to help people learn, especially children.
• He is a role model as a good friend to the other Muppets.
• He reminds us of the importance of play and having fun, at every age.

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2012 will be the European Year for Active Aging and Solidarity between Generations.

Solidarity between generations, people of different generations working together,  is essential for our world to function.  Many of the AgeEsteem workshops that I give are around an intergenerational theme and the importance of the complementarity that people of different ages and stages in life offer each other.

It is natural to want to be with others of diverse ages and to have solidarity between generations.  If we look at the family unit we see two, three and even four generations.  It is natural to interact daily with people of other generations, be they younger or older.

• Do you have regular contact with your parents, grandparents, children or grandchildren?
• What contact do you have with younger and older people?
• What benefit do these people bring to your life – and you to theirs?
• Is there a feeling of solidarity between generations where you live and work?
• If you lack contact with other generations, what can you do to remedy this?

People with age esteem tend to be active with positive people of all ages, creating solidarity between generations.

Bonnie Fatio

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This is your time to bloom with Age Esteem!

Flowers are bursting forth with the first hint of warmth and sunshine as Spring becomes reality.

• Plan an activity with others.  Include older people and younger ones.  Make it intergenerational.
• Make a commitment to volunteer, join a new group or participate in a new activity.
• Encourage friendships with positive people, people who make you feel good.  Avoid those who bring a negative energy with them.
• Do something courageous.  Push yourself beyond your comfort zones.
• Give thanks for all the blessings of your life, large and small.

Age Esteem is a frame of mind, a way of life.  This is your time to bloom with an Age Esteem positive attitude!

Bonnie Fatio

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Attending the Commission on the Status of Women with the World YWCA at the United Nations is an intergenerational experience, and an energizing one!

Women of all ages from the entire world share real life experiences in preventing, overcoming, and striving to eliminate violence against women and girls, discrimination, and racial injustice while promoting equal access to education, decent work, finances, health care, safety, political opportunities, decision making and dignity.

The intergenerational commitment to sharing these issues at each age and working together to promote women at every stage of living is essential to making this happen.

Look at your life at your age today in the environment in which you live. Imagine that

• You have no pure water. You walk for hours each day to carry the infected water that you do find.
• You are unable to attend school because your mother is ill and you must replace her to work in the home.
• You denied decent work opportunities or advancement in the workplace.
• You risk violence and rape on the path to school.
• You do not have access to health care. The nearest infirmary is three hours by foot.
• Your parents arrange for you to marry while you are still a child. You have no choice.

This may be difficult for you to imagine or it maybe the way life is where you live.  Either way it is important for discussions and solutions to be intergenerational.

Bonnie Fatio

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Many of the films for May/June are from around the world: France, Spain, Argentina, Switzerland, Norway, Mexico, United States.  I no longer dare call them foreign films since AgeEsteem readers come from most areas of the globe so many films will be foreign to most.

Films are a wonderful escape into another world and other lives far removed from our own, or perhaps not so different.   They are good for our age-esteem.

• We continue to learn through movies.  They stimulate our minds.
• Going to a theater is a social event, as is watching a DVD with friends.  We share the film and our impressions and reactions.
• Films often make us laugh or cry.  Laughter is a great preventive medicine..  Crying is also a good release that rids us of toxins.
• Films help keep us abreast of what is ‘in’.
• Watching films can be an intergenerational activity.  It offers us the occasion to ask questions and to learn from others, including small children and teens.

Research also shows that to watch a film in another language, whether or not we read subtitles, helps to connect our mental neurons in new ways.

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Having fun and meeting with people of different generations keeps us up to date on what is happening in the world as seen from other age groups.  It also gives us opportunities to share from our own point of view.

A delightful way to meet with others is through traditions that we share.  The tradition of having an annual family picnic to celebrate the national holiday creates memories for each member of the family.

If you don’t have a family, borrow neighbors and friends to create an intergenerational tradition.  Here are some ideas.

• Organize a treasure hunt mixing ages on each team.  It is a great way to learn to value the qualities of others as you follow clues that demand creativity, logic, technical skills, physical agility…  Different members get to shine at different moments.  You can be certain that it will become a tradition as participants beg to have another.
• Produce a play and perform it for friends and neighbors each summer.  All ages can work together as actors, prompters, ticket sellers…  You can perform outdoors or in a garage.
• Orchestrate a Mad Hatter’s Tea Party.  Each person can arrive with a homemade hat or you can encourage them to bring material, ribbon, paper, flowers and food like string beans with them for everyone to share while they make their hats on the spot.  You can also break them into teams to make one hat among them which is then modeled and judged.  Be sure to have a judge from each age group on the jury.

Ideas are endless.  Fly kites.  Line dance.  Have a day at the beach.  Organize a spelling contest.  You will be surprised how much fun it can be to begin an intergenerational tradition.

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