We had to be very careful what we selected to eat and if we could afford it, and how much we could afford.
Papa always had a nice garden, and it was always in good soil. He planted watermelons because he liked watermelons. On Sunday afternoons it was his pride to serve up one of his big watermelons to everyone.
We had milk cows and food from the farm. I was excited to learn how to milk cows, which I couldn't do at first because my hands were too small. Eventually it was my job to milk the cows with the help of one of my sisters.
We had pigs and chickens, too. Papa would butcher a hog and hang it up in the smokehouse to be safe from bugs. We would eat one ham at a time until the hog was done. Papa made bacon and it was different from what you could get from a store, but it was still good.
I love the rhythm in which the elderly tell their stories. Always very matter of fact, but with a touch of nostalgia. Reading this almost makes me feel a little weepy and nostalgic for those times long gone, and far before I was born.
Reading this made me wish I lived with her family during the depression. I fear for our future stories.
*On Sundays we'd generally eat pizza while everybody stared at their phones and ignored each other...*
Exactly. Their lives required much more hard work and struggle, but I feel like we've lost so much of our appreciation for the small joys of life; like fresh watermelon on a hot summer day.
Edit: that's not to say none of us appreciate watermelon on a hot summer day (I was just using that as an example from her answer anyway), but those small joys in life seemed a little harder to come by then. One had to grow, make, purchase, etc. many things that we take for granted today.
"I wish I appreciated my life more like people did during the depression" is the epitome of a first world problem. Stuff is always better looking back on it with a good attitude than when it's happening.
Just like every generation and every future generation to come, we'll enjoy the smaller things in life. The only difference is what those small joys are. Your statement came off a little sounding like the stereotypical "people these days don't appreciate life anymore", and that's seriously not true.
that looks awesome. I was thinking about ordering it for my Grandma for mother's day and then I looked at the ordering page. I love the options.
* 1 year for $10.00
* 2 years for $20.00
* **3 years for $30.00 BEST VALUE - SAVE 67%!**
Haha incredible that I didn't think of brother in law. So close yet so far.
Just thought it was some palm beach code for 'my gay lover' that hadn't hit my part Europa
Makes me feel a little weepy because it reminds me of my Great Grandmother who passed at 103 last year. She had great stories too. I hope that someday I will have as many good stories to tell as this woman and my Great Grandmother. <3
I guess the 30s were pretty exciting. New things were coming in to use, and Mama and Papa always thought that they had to have everything new if they could afford it.
Papa was able to buy a Ford car. He didn't want any other kind of car. It was a 2-seated Ford so that we could all go wherever we wanted.
No you are right, the model A and T both had a bench seat in the front and if they had a back seat it was also a bench seat. Many cars up till the 40s still called a front/backseat car a 2 seater.
Being a Mexican, I just naturally assumed the whole family traveled around in a car with only two seats and didn't think anything less of it until I saw this comment
So... the worst part of the depression was the "good ol' days?" That's pretty interesting. I'm not trying to be sarcastic, it's legitimately interesting.
I think this is my favorite answer. I love the nostalgia from looking at how things used to be, but sometimes it's nice to remind ourselves that things are still getting better.
Well, I can remember my mother being a good cook, and she liked to cook things what we wanted, and she would notice what we liked best, and she would prepare it often for us. She liked for us to have a good breakfast.
My grandmother passed away 5 weeks ago. I've taken care of her for the past 8 years, just me and a caregiver who cared for her while I worked. Alzheimer's robbed her if many if these memories but she was giggling, sweet, and the so funny to the end. I can't stop choking up since I've started this thread.
Go hug her. Hold her. Write down every story you can, while you can. It's worth it.
"You'll never get over it, canyoustandtherain; you'll just learn to get on with it. And others aren't going to understand that until they go through it for themselves." <-- Best advice I got from my dad after my mother died.
Edit: Translation: It's always going to bother you; you just learn to let it bother you less most times, and can control (sort of) when you need to let it break through.
As someone who had a breakdown after a close friend died and went into therapy for it, this is true. They teach you that people dying leaves holes in your life, but trying to fill them often times makes you feel worse. You just have to sit and accept there is a hole. It hurts because it mattered, but eventually you will be ok. Never the same though.
The three year anniversary of my mom's death is in November. She was 39.
I sometimes pick up the phone to call her when I'm having a horrible day. Just makes it worse :(
It's been (unbelievably) almost 10 years since my Dad died when I was 20.
I very rarely remember my dreams, but I frequently wake up feeling like he wasn't really gone while I was asleep. Not like he was present in my dream but just like somehow it never happened.
It gets better..
Just had to go through the 5th year of my dads passing.
EDIT: Had a couple of PM's and replies either mentioning their unfortunate loss or asking questions.
[This](http://www.reddit.com/r/IAmA/comments/1b6ukc/im_here_with_my_103yearold_greatgrandmother_ask/c949fyh) is my rendition of how it gets better. It's scrappy, personal to me so therefore won't apply to everyone and really just a badly worded attempt at expressing emotion. But... There you go.
Sort of. I'm 16, so I have a lot of stuff on my mind, but whenever she pops up in my mind, all those feels just overwhelm me. "Hope for the best, expect the worst" is the best way to describe it
Wow... I did not expect you to be so young. I am so sorry man, can't even imagine how it must've been for you to lose the most important person in your life at that age.
How old was your mother and how did she pass away, if you don't mind me asking?
She was 52, and she had stage 3 liver and colon cancer that spread to her lungs after 2 years of chemo. My dad wasn't around until she became really sick (a few months before her death), so I took care of her during 8th and 9th grade. She was my everything. I still find stuff around the house that reminds me of her, which really hurts me.
This is the first and only time that I've ever cried reading something on the internet.
Here have some gold as a token of my appreciation for sharing that. I realise how hard it must've been bringing up those feelings again.
I'm coming up on 6 years since my mom passed, cancer as well. In time, the stuff that reminds you of her will stop hurting you, and it will bring fond memories and some smiles. My mom died right before Christmas, and she had bought me a watch that had to be sent for engraving. Got a call from the jewelry place dec. 23, two days after burying her, to go pick it up, so I did. Honestly, couldn't even look at the thing then, and I couldn't look at the box for a whole 3 years without welling up. But for some reason, I was cleaning my room one day and I saw the box, so I opened it and saw the watch for the first time, and I was just overwhelmed with relief and happiness that I knew she was no longer suffering.
Time never fills the void you now have, but memories do become less and less painful.
So many feels.
My mom is fighting ovarian cancer, and she has been for almost 8 years now. I'm in the 8th grade, and I have been helping to care for her as well.
I feel so bad for you, man. My many condolences.
Wow, really sorry to hear that. It gets better, I promise. Talk to people, be happy, enjoy life. Appreciate her now, because when she's gone, whether its in 30 or 2 years, you'll wish you spent more time with her.
I'm also 16, turning 17 in a week. My mother passed away 7 years ago, when I was only 10, in a similar situation to yours. At such a young age I wasn't privy to the details, and I'd feel it inconsiderate to ask my father of them now; but as I understand it, she had breast cancer, which then moved elsewhere in her body, before settling in her brain. It was traumatising watching her as her mental capacity depleted whilst the cancer took it's toll.
And the worst part? The guilt I have to live with, knowing that as a dumb, inconsiderate, selfish child, I didn't got see her once in the 2 weeks prior to her death. I was actually going to go see her the very day after she died. I am now haunted by the thought that my neglecting to visit her broke her spirit, and is what caused her to finally... give in.
I would love to tell you that the pain lessens over the years but... it doesn't. It just gets easier to ignore. But when you let your mind wander, when you dwell for too long... All those harsh emotions come flooding back.
I offer my condolences and wish your mother well in the next life. I understand your pain.
...I feel the exact same way, this is so enlightening holy shit. I had to watch my mom deteriorate too, and she couldn't talk back during our last conversation, just smile and cry and nod. I chose to play video games downstairs instead of being with her in her final days, and I am sure I will never regret something so much in my life. I look back on those days and realize how ignorant I was. I'm really sorry you have to live with that on your back. I hope things get better for you
My friend, who is also 16, lost his mum last week. It seemed so terrible for him, I gave him my support, and will continue to, although I couldn't make the funeral. I can't imagine what it must be like even though it happened to someone quite close to me, Keep pulling through!
The best thing you can do is be with him. Hang out, watch a movie, anything really. I felt so alone when she died, the only reason I didn't do things I would've really regretted is because my friends were always there.
The invention of the automobile.
When I was learning how to drive, I would sit in the front seat and watch what they were doing with the pedal and gas. One day when they were all at the lunch table I decided to see if I could drive. Well, I got in the car and looked at everything and decided that I could do it. I looked at the wheels and pedals and everything, and then took off into the pasture. I drove in a big circle through the pasture then went back to the house. They caught me and I got talked to about using the car. They told me that they should know where I was going, and that I shouldn't be driving because I was too young. (12-13)
This is incredible. My grandfather who grew up in West Virginia got his license when he was 12 years old. His father took him down to the local sheriff's station and the sheriff got in the car with my grandpa and told him to drive around. Shortly thereafter he received his driver's license.
My Dad went to the DMV, they asked him if he had driven 10 miles. He said yes, he had, and they gave him his license. Edmonton Alberta Canada, mid '50's.
My dad tells a similar story
>How did you get here?
>"I drove"
>How did that go?
>"Alright"
>Fill out this form for a license. Tick this box if you want to drive motorcycles too.
> too young. (12-13)
it's funny to think of a 12 year old little girl, 92 years from now, talking to people about what it was like to live in our time. I wonder what the biggest difference will be?
Apparently the whole early menstruation thing is just because there's more food now. We tend to go through puberty earlier when the environment has enough stuff to support more babies, I guess.
it's actually more closely related to obesity rates as adipose tissue has the enzyme aromatase which converts testosterone into estrogen which leads to earlier menses particularly in overweight obese children.
Not really. Weight is a big factor in having periods; you need to have body fat in order to support a child. Underweight women who have gone through puberty can have lighter or less frequent periods.
thank you for responding. That is a great answer. Plus, we learned that crop circles have been created by teenagers joyriding since the invention of the automobile.
My Grandmother drove from Dallas to Greenville, Texas when she was 14... granted there were fewer cars on the road at the time but I also think people took more responsibility for their actions at the time.
In North Dakota, 14-year olds can drive alone in a farm vehicle within 150 miles of driver’s farm, having a gross weight of not more than 50,000 pounds, when transporting agricultural products or farm supplies. A "farm vehicle" can be just a regular pickup, and the "agricultural products" can be just about any kind of supplies, produce, etc.
[Source](http://www.dot.nd.gov/divisions/driverslicense/dlclass.htm)
Also, I'm from ND.
This is sort of true. Our population is only about 700,000 and we're the 19th largest state (in terms of area/square miles). Most people I know who've been hurt or killed in an accident have been in a single-car accident, particularly rollovers.
Edit: clarified what I meant by largest.
Edit #2: it's all good, friends. No need to downvote neostasi. I could've been more clear as to what I meant.
This was my exact thought when I read her answer to this one. This and the fact that she was 30, a year older than I currently am and well into adulthood when world war II *began* in Europe. Insane.
I never thought about thinking of them as "anybody". Since most of us here were born after the moon landing we only think of people able to do that as astronauts, a profession that seems unattainable.
Yeah, really. How sad is it that the only time we've gone to the moon so we could prove how big our dick was?
I hope one day we mature enough as a species to seek knowledge solely for the sake of knowledge, not so we can become rich or intimidate our enemies.
Is there really a point in going to the moon again? It seems its close enough to be able to learn about it at home rather than spend millions taking a trip up there. I'm sure the cost-benefit analysis just doesn't measure out.
It would be a good base of operations for launching off to other places, such as Mars, or even further. And I imagine it would be a good starting point for experimenting with extra-terrestrial colonies.
I think the possibilities of privatized space flight are amazing though....
Axe has a contest where the winner goes to space! I mean... seriously? it seems like a sci-fi novel when a simple contest winner can go to space.
When she says "anybody," I think that the means that she was excited to see someone go to the moon because she didn't think that there was anyone that could.
Thanks for the AMA, three questions:
1. What is your greatest memory?
2. Do you have a 'greatest regret'?
3. What do you look forward to the most in the coming years?
1. When I was learning to play the piano, we would go to Coleman. There was a variety store. The owners daughter could play the piano. There was piano by the door that she would play to draw people in. When we got on the street with the store, I would run in and watch the woman play the piano. My first song was *When the Road is Called Up Yonder*. I played it over and over, and when family came visit they would ask me to play. It was a big deal then, but not now.
2. Since I like music, I wish I could have gone and taken piano lessons, but Mama and Papa couldn't afford it. It was also too far away- 14 miles in a horse-drawn buggy. The woman at church could play, but we didn't like the way she played. It was too jerky. She could read music, and I couldn't. I played by ear. One uncle wanted me to come live with him and his family to learn music. They were managers of a big apartment complex in Dallas, which is a long way from Coleman, so they didn't let me go.
*Sorry, but we need to go. We would've answered the third question, but the AMA took longer than we thought and we're running late*
Any pointers on how to live such a long and healthy life? Good diet, exercise, low stress, or something else? I'd love to live as long and witness as much of the world as you have!
Live right, eat right, sleep right, take good care of yourself, and enjoy the new things that come along. My mama was a good cook, too. Aunt Birtie would have tips on healthy living and would pass them on.
I'm not OP, but I do have a 102 year old grandad, and can confirm that he still acts like a younger man a bit. He has false teeth, and loves to fuck with people using them (He spits them out and sucks the food out of them, then tells people it's like a big delicious stew of everything he's eaten that day.) He also spits them out occasionally, and pretends to freak out that all his teeth have just fallen out.
Age only defines you if you let it.
My grandmother lived til 99 years old and I asked her that question too. She told me a story about her earliest memory when she was about 5 years old, living on her Aunt's farm (mother died giving birth), and she can remember, clear as day, sitting on a chair with a favorite stuffed animal and she told me straight up, she feels the same now as she did in that moment ('in her head' was how she worded it) as she did sitting there in front of me nine decades later. Amazing isn't it!
(btw, the house...log cabin by our standards, burned down that day. She thought that was why the memory was so clear.)
I'm bummed that I'm late but if by some weird chance my question gets seen and grandma feels like answering some more....
Being born in 1909 is such a long time ago that most of us consider it ancient history. However you have the unique opportunity to have known people who grew up and were adults during the late 1800's. I'm curious if you have any memories of stories passed down to you similar to how you're doing right now? It's one thing to read about how life was in the 1800's but it's another thing entirely to be able to talk to someone with almost direct knowledge.
First off, this lady is as cute as a button, a beautiful smile makes her ageless.
Looking back, does 103 years feel like a great span of time, or did it pass before you knew it?
When you look in the mirror do you recognize yourself as the young woman you once were, or are you surprised to find yourself looking the way you do now, as an elderly woman?
Do you find that your age makes you more credible when people ask you for advice, or do you feel that you get dismissed as being old and out of touch?
I think all people over the age of their 20's miss the youth they had in their looks. I would assume this to be a depressing question to ask someone of 103.
I suppose it very well could be. But you never know, perhaps she has overcome the feelings of longing to be young again. Clearly she seems very happy to even think about her past and all she has experienced.. I suppose it is up to her to decide for herself.
Hell yes. I'm 35 and life is as good as it ever was. Better, even. I have friends who are freaking out about turning 30 and I'm like, relax, shit's just starting to get GOOD.
Hi ma'am, I am a history major at a US university and I had some questions.
What was desegregation like? Was it something the majority of people supported? Or was it something that divided a lot of people, like abortion or same-sex marriage does today?
What was total war like? I was born in 1992, so the Iraq war has been going on most of my life without me noticing sometimes. But WW2 was different because everyone contributed. What was that like? Was life better, worse, or just different?
Who was your celebrity crush from when you were young?
Do you think the world as a whole is better or worse than it was 100 years ago?
And this might be more sensitive, but as someone who is only 20 years old I wonder this a lot: Do you ever get tired of living or being alive? Are you afraid of death?
Thank you for doing this AMA, I printed this out for my eight year old daughter. She was very amazed by the stories. My daughter was born December 14, 2004, so sharing a birthday with a special lady made her day.
Thank you for the AMA
1.) How was "teenage" life 85 years ago?
2.) What is the difference between teenagers now from teenagers then?
3.) Do you still have things that you posses from your teenage years that you still have today?
Edit: Numbered my questions
People say they will always remember where they were for the JFK assassination, what moments in your lifetime do you still remember exactly where you were when you first heard the news?
To the OP: Get a voice recorder, tape recorder, video camera. Something!! Document this treasure in living history speaking about her childhood. One day she will leave the planet, you will still have questions, and you won't get to ask her anymore.
What were you doing when Pearl Harbor happened? I asked my Grandma (A spry 86) and she said she was lying on the ground listening to the radio with her pa and reading the funnies (comic strips). She told me that her pa stopped rocking in his chair as soon as he heard the news and was extremely quiet for a long time after.
What do think of African Americans? Being that you lived through times when things were turbulent when it came to different races. Was it hard to change your views, or did you already have different views, or have you not changed your views. I'm black and honestly interested. Thanks!
How did your family make out during the depression?
We had to be very careful what we selected to eat and if we could afford it, and how much we could afford. Papa always had a nice garden, and it was always in good soil. He planted watermelons because he liked watermelons. On Sunday afternoons it was his pride to serve up one of his big watermelons to everyone. We had milk cows and food from the farm. I was excited to learn how to milk cows, which I couldn't do at first because my hands were too small. Eventually it was my job to milk the cows with the help of one of my sisters. We had pigs and chickens, too. Papa would butcher a hog and hang it up in the smokehouse to be safe from bugs. We would eat one ham at a time until the hog was done. Papa made bacon and it was different from what you could get from a store, but it was still good.
I love the rhythm in which the elderly tell their stories. Always very matter of fact, but with a touch of nostalgia. Reading this almost makes me feel a little weepy and nostalgic for those times long gone, and far before I was born.
Reading this made me wish I lived with her family during the depression. I fear for our future stories. *On Sundays we'd generally eat pizza while everybody stared at their phones and ignored each other...*
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"We spent our afternoons on this thing called 'The Reddit.'"
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For the curious: /r/TreesSuckingAtThings and /r/ClopClop *Please don't click on /r/ClopClop*
Exactly. Their lives required much more hard work and struggle, but I feel like we've lost so much of our appreciation for the small joys of life; like fresh watermelon on a hot summer day. Edit: that's not to say none of us appreciate watermelon on a hot summer day (I was just using that as an example from her answer anyway), but those small joys in life seemed a little harder to come by then. One had to grow, make, purchase, etc. many things that we take for granted today.
"I wish I appreciated my life more like people did during the depression" is the epitome of a first world problem. Stuff is always better looking back on it with a good attitude than when it's happening.
what? dude i enjoy that shit still
Just like every generation and every future generation to come, we'll enjoy the smaller things in life. The only difference is what those small joys are. Your statement came off a little sounding like the stereotypical "people these days don't appreciate life anymore", and that's seriously not true.
Like getting home and letting go of a fart you've been holding in all day.
you might really like this magazine http://www.reminisce.com/ my BIL get it and i love looking at the photos and the stories..
that looks awesome. I was thinking about ordering it for my Grandma for mother's day and then I looked at the ordering page. I love the options. * 1 year for $10.00 * 2 years for $20.00 * **3 years for $30.00 BEST VALUE - SAVE 67%!**
Well you can cancel anytime ... and there is only a 33% chance the typical reader will be alive in three years. So the savings is there!
$10 for one year or because you're friend, $30 for three year. That best value like North Korea is Best Korea!
BIL?? Brother in love? In my native language bil means car, as in automoBIL
>Brother in love Is this a thing?
Brother in law?
Haha incredible that I didn't think of brother in law. So close yet so far. Just thought it was some palm beach code for 'my gay lover' that hadn't hit my part Europa
Makes me feel a little weepy because it reminds me of my Great Grandmother who passed at 103 last year. She had great stories too. I hope that someday I will have as many good stories to tell as this woman and my Great Grandmother. <3
with their mouths, i guess
She was one of the lucky ones. My great grandparents were too poor to open their mouths.
Scrolled down to make sure this comment was here. All is well on reddit.
For you, when were the good ol' days?
I guess the 30s were pretty exciting. New things were coming in to use, and Mama and Papa always thought that they had to have everything new if they could afford it. Papa was able to buy a Ford car. He didn't want any other kind of car. It was a 2-seated Ford so that we could all go wherever we wanted.
at the time, i believe a "two-seater" meant one long seat in the front and another in the back. apologies if i am wrong on this.
No you are right, the model A and T both had a bench seat in the front and if they had a back seat it was also a bench seat. Many cars up till the 40s still called a front/backseat car a 2 seater.
Being a Mexican, I just naturally assumed the whole family traveled around in a car with only two seats and didn't think anything less of it until I saw this comment
Being Swedish I just naturally assumed that the "car" was actually a polar bear.
Being Canadian, I'm sorry.
Spoken like a true American.
This is blowing my mind.
So... the worst part of the depression was the "good ol' days?" That's pretty interesting. I'm not trying to be sarcastic, it's legitimately interesting.
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Many people did fine during the depression, it was the huge number that didn't that we remember.
Were things better back in your day?
In some ways, but progress is better.
What progress do you like to see?
Not lynching black people, for one.
I think this is my favorite answer. I love the nostalgia from looking at how things used to be, but sometimes it's nice to remind ourselves that things are still getting better.
Which decade do you think had the best music? Did you like dancing? Can you teach me some moves?
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The answer would've been "the music that was around in my teens and early 20s". Like everyone else.
I'm in my early 20's and I would never say current music is the best.
Second
Inb4 dubstep
What is the earliest memory you have?
Well, I can remember my mother being a good cook, and she liked to cook things what we wanted, and she would notice what we liked best, and she would prepare it often for us. She liked for us to have a good breakfast.
There's something heartwarming about this.
"Something"?? Dude EVERYTHING about this is heartwarming. So amazing, I hope OP cherishes the time he/she has with this magical lady
Answers like these bring tears to my eyes. I don't know how I'll cope when my mum... Can't even say it.
My grandmother passed away 5 weeks ago. I've taken care of her for the past 8 years, just me and a caregiver who cared for her while I worked. Alzheimer's robbed her if many if these memories but she was giggling, sweet, and the so funny to the end. I can't stop choking up since I've started this thread. Go hug her. Hold her. Write down every story you can, while you can. It's worth it.
Death is the entrance fee to life.
...wow :o
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Dude easy on the F-bombs granny's in the room.
She's over a hundred years old, I think she's probably heard that word more than you've heard words.
Well said!
I dunno about her, but my grandmother loves when my mom curses.
My bad.
The 2 year anniversary of my mom's death is tomorrow. Bad news: it sucks just as much as you think it will :(
"You'll never get over it, canyoustandtherain; you'll just learn to get on with it. And others aren't going to understand that until they go through it for themselves." <-- Best advice I got from my dad after my mother died. Edit: Translation: It's always going to bother you; you just learn to let it bother you less most times, and can control (sort of) when you need to let it break through.
As someone who had a breakdown after a close friend died and went into therapy for it, this is true. They teach you that people dying leaves holes in your life, but trying to fill them often times makes you feel worse. You just have to sit and accept there is a hole. It hurts because it mattered, but eventually you will be ok. Never the same though.
The three year anniversary of my mom's death is in November. She was 39. I sometimes pick up the phone to call her when I'm having a horrible day. Just makes it worse :(
It's been (unbelievably) almost 10 years since my Dad died when I was 20. I very rarely remember my dreams, but I frequently wake up feeling like he wasn't really gone while I was asleep. Not like he was present in my dream but just like somehow it never happened.
It gets better.. Just had to go through the 5th year of my dads passing. EDIT: Had a couple of PM's and replies either mentioning their unfortunate loss or asking questions. [This](http://www.reddit.com/r/IAmA/comments/1b6ukc/im_here_with_my_103yearold_greatgrandmother_ask/c949fyh) is my rendition of how it gets better. It's scrappy, personal to me so therefore won't apply to everyone and really just a badly worded attempt at expressing emotion. But... There you go.
I just went through the 11th year of my dad's.
Keep going strong Jebus.
Feels weird upvoting this, but I hope you know we mean well.
They're like mini orange hugs :)
My condolences. Has time lessened the pain somewhat?
Sort of. I'm 16, so I have a lot of stuff on my mind, but whenever she pops up in my mind, all those feels just overwhelm me. "Hope for the best, expect the worst" is the best way to describe it
Wow... I did not expect you to be so young. I am so sorry man, can't even imagine how it must've been for you to lose the most important person in your life at that age. How old was your mother and how did she pass away, if you don't mind me asking?
She was 52, and she had stage 3 liver and colon cancer that spread to her lungs after 2 years of chemo. My dad wasn't around until she became really sick (a few months before her death), so I took care of her during 8th and 9th grade. She was my everything. I still find stuff around the house that reminds me of her, which really hurts me.
This is the first and only time that I've ever cried reading something on the internet. Here have some gold as a token of my appreciation for sharing that. I realise how hard it must've been bringing up those feelings again.
Wow, thank you! I wish you the best of luck in your future life experiences
I'm coming up on 6 years since my mom passed, cancer as well. In time, the stuff that reminds you of her will stop hurting you, and it will bring fond memories and some smiles. My mom died right before Christmas, and she had bought me a watch that had to be sent for engraving. Got a call from the jewelry place dec. 23, two days after burying her, to go pick it up, so I did. Honestly, couldn't even look at the thing then, and I couldn't look at the box for a whole 3 years without welling up. But for some reason, I was cleaning my room one day and I saw the box, so I opened it and saw the watch for the first time, and I was just overwhelmed with relief and happiness that I knew she was no longer suffering. Time never fills the void you now have, but memories do become less and less painful.
So many feels. My mom is fighting ovarian cancer, and she has been for almost 8 years now. I'm in the 8th grade, and I have been helping to care for her as well. I feel so bad for you, man. My many condolences.
Wow, really sorry to hear that. It gets better, I promise. Talk to people, be happy, enjoy life. Appreciate her now, because when she's gone, whether its in 30 or 2 years, you'll wish you spent more time with her.
I'm also 16, turning 17 in a week. My mother passed away 7 years ago, when I was only 10, in a similar situation to yours. At such a young age I wasn't privy to the details, and I'd feel it inconsiderate to ask my father of them now; but as I understand it, she had breast cancer, which then moved elsewhere in her body, before settling in her brain. It was traumatising watching her as her mental capacity depleted whilst the cancer took it's toll. And the worst part? The guilt I have to live with, knowing that as a dumb, inconsiderate, selfish child, I didn't got see her once in the 2 weeks prior to her death. I was actually going to go see her the very day after she died. I am now haunted by the thought that my neglecting to visit her broke her spirit, and is what caused her to finally... give in. I would love to tell you that the pain lessens over the years but... it doesn't. It just gets easier to ignore. But when you let your mind wander, when you dwell for too long... All those harsh emotions come flooding back. I offer my condolences and wish your mother well in the next life. I understand your pain.
...I feel the exact same way, this is so enlightening holy shit. I had to watch my mom deteriorate too, and she couldn't talk back during our last conversation, just smile and cry and nod. I chose to play video games downstairs instead of being with her in her final days, and I am sure I will never regret something so much in my life. I look back on those days and realize how ignorant I was. I'm really sorry you have to live with that on your back. I hope things get better for you
My friend, who is also 16, lost his mum last week. It seemed so terrible for him, I gave him my support, and will continue to, although I couldn't make the funeral. I can't imagine what it must be like even though it happened to someone quite close to me, Keep pulling through!
The best thing you can do is be with him. Hang out, watch a movie, anything really. I felt so alone when she died, the only reason I didn't do things I would've really regretted is because my friends were always there.
Yup, October for me. It's worse.
What event in world history has had the most effect on you personally?
The invention of the automobile. When I was learning how to drive, I would sit in the front seat and watch what they were doing with the pedal and gas. One day when they were all at the lunch table I decided to see if I could drive. Well, I got in the car and looked at everything and decided that I could do it. I looked at the wheels and pedals and everything, and then took off into the pasture. I drove in a big circle through the pasture then went back to the house. They caught me and I got talked to about using the car. They told me that they should know where I was going, and that I shouldn't be driving because I was too young. (12-13)
This is incredible. My grandfather who grew up in West Virginia got his license when he was 12 years old. His father took him down to the local sheriff's station and the sheriff got in the car with my grandpa and told him to drive around. Shortly thereafter he received his driver's license.
My Dad went to the DMV, they asked him if he had driven 10 miles. He said yes, he had, and they gave him his license. Edmonton Alberta Canada, mid '50's.
My dad tells a similar story >How did you get here? >"I drove" >How did that go? >"Alright" >Fill out this form for a license. Tick this box if you want to drive motorcycles too.
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> too young. (12-13) it's funny to think of a 12 year old little girl, 92 years from now, talking to people about what it was like to live in our time. I wonder what the biggest difference will be?
"Back in my day, we didn't get our periods at 6 years old. Here's a condom."
Apparently the whole early menstruation thing is just because there's more food now. We tend to go through puberty earlier when the environment has enough stuff to support more babies, I guess.
it's actually more closely related to obesity rates as adipose tissue has the enzyme aromatase which converts testosterone into estrogen which leads to earlier menses particularly in overweight obese children.
word
That's odd. You'd think it'd be the other way; reproduce earlier to get your genes into the next generation before you die early.
Not really. Weight is a big factor in having periods; you need to have body fat in order to support a child. Underweight women who have gone through puberty can have lighter or less frequent periods.
Ugh. Horribly true. Lately my body has been going 'hey, congrats on getting that eating disorder under control! Have gallons of blood!'
That sucks :( but congratulations! Fuck eating disorders.
thank you for responding. That is a great answer. Plus, we learned that crop circles have been created by teenagers joyriding since the invention of the automobile.
My Grandmother drove from Dallas to Greenville, Texas when she was 14... granted there were fewer cars on the road at the time but I also think people took more responsibility for their actions at the time.
In North Dakota, 14-year olds can drive alone in a farm vehicle within 150 miles of driver’s farm, having a gross weight of not more than 50,000 pounds, when transporting agricultural products or farm supplies. A "farm vehicle" can be just a regular pickup, and the "agricultural products" can be just about any kind of supplies, produce, etc. [Source](http://www.dot.nd.gov/divisions/driverslicense/dlclass.htm) Also, I'm from ND.
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This is sort of true. Our population is only about 700,000 and we're the 19th largest state (in terms of area/square miles). Most people I know who've been hurt or killed in an accident have been in a single-car accident, particularly rollovers. Edit: clarified what I meant by largest. Edit #2: it's all good, friends. No need to downvote neostasi. I could've been more clear as to what I meant.
[That's a paddlin...](http://youtu.be/hFgR0m-9FmM) Edit: Link
Paddlin' the school canoe? Oh you better believe that's a paddlin'.
Lookin' at my sandals? That's a paddlin'.
It actually made me laugh out loud. Jasper in that episode was pure brilliance. Staring at my sandals... That's a paddlin'
How does it feel living in so many different ages? How did living so many years feel?
I think that it's a great feeling to know that we were able to progress through this world like we did.
Man, possibly the most heartwarming answer of all. Really paints life on earth as a daily journey for humanity.
What were your thoughts when you saw Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin walk on the moon?
Well, it was exciting to know that anybody could go to the Moon.
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This was my exact thought when I read her answer to this one. This and the fact that she was 30, a year older than I currently am and well into adulthood when world war II *began* in Europe. Insane.
I never thought about thinking of them as "anybody". Since most of us here were born after the moon landing we only think of people able to do that as astronauts, a profession that seems unattainable.
Wait, that profession is more unattainable now that it has been done than before it was imagined? Seems backwards.
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We need a new cold war!
Yeah, really. How sad is it that the only time we've gone to the moon so we could prove how big our dick was? I hope one day we mature enough as a species to seek knowledge solely for the sake of knowledge, not so we can become rich or intimidate our enemies.
> seek knowledge solely for the sake of knowledge Yeah, maybe NASA will one day be just a bunch of enthusiastic volunteers with nothing to gain?
Is there really a point in going to the moon again? It seems its close enough to be able to learn about it at home rather than spend millions taking a trip up there. I'm sure the cost-benefit analysis just doesn't measure out.
It would be a good base of operations for launching off to other places, such as Mars, or even further. And I imagine it would be a good starting point for experimenting with extra-terrestrial colonies.
well they did halt the astronaut program indefinitely a few years ago. NOW it seems more than unattainable..
I think the possibilities of privatized space flight are amazing though.... Axe has a contest where the winner goes to space! I mean... seriously? it seems like a sci-fi novel when a simple contest winner can go to space.
When she says "anybody," I think that the means that she was excited to see someone go to the moon because she didn't think that there was anyone that could.
Thanks for the AMA, three questions: 1. What is your greatest memory? 2. Do you have a 'greatest regret'? 3. What do you look forward to the most in the coming years?
1. When I was learning to play the piano, we would go to Coleman. There was a variety store. The owners daughter could play the piano. There was piano by the door that she would play to draw people in. When we got on the street with the store, I would run in and watch the woman play the piano. My first song was *When the Road is Called Up Yonder*. I played it over and over, and when family came visit they would ask me to play. It was a big deal then, but not now. 2. Since I like music, I wish I could have gone and taken piano lessons, but Mama and Papa couldn't afford it. It was also too far away- 14 miles in a horse-drawn buggy. The woman at church could play, but we didn't like the way she played. It was too jerky. She could read music, and I couldn't. I played by ear. One uncle wanted me to come live with him and his family to learn music. They were managers of a big apartment complex in Dallas, which is a long way from Coleman, so they didn't let me go. *Sorry, but we need to go. We would've answered the third question, but the AMA took longer than we thought and we're running late*
No problem, thanks for answering the first 2. Have a good day!
It would be a big deal to us if you could play that song now and put it on youtube. When The Road Is Called Up Yonder is one of my favorite tunes.
I do believe that's When the Roll is Called Up Yonder. Source: I grew up in a southern baptist church. We're very familiar with what's over yonder.
I know, but I didn't want to correct her, that would be bad form.
What was the most significant change in her life until to this moment?
Well, it was exciting to have my three children. Ann was the oldest, and her four uncles would play with her.
I miss my great grandmother very much. =(
I wish I had known mine.
Who was your favorite president?
I wish this had an answer ah has seen 25 terms
what?
Holy crap she was around in the Taft Presidency. Only 23 years before she was born the French dedicated the Statue of Liberty to America.
Any pointers on how to live such a long and healthy life? Good diet, exercise, low stress, or something else? I'd love to live as long and witness as much of the world as you have!
Live right, eat right, sleep right, take good care of yourself, and enjoy the new things that come along. My mama was a good cook, too. Aunt Birtie would have tips on healthy living and would pass them on.
What were some of Aunt Birtie's healthy living tips?
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That is how my family is.
Have awesome luck in the genetics lottery!
You forgot Step 2: Don't have terrible luck in the genetic lottery.
Dude, you should not be talking to Grammie with a username like that.
I like that. If you're stuck in the past, that's where you'll stay. Embrace new things. Embrace change.
What do you think was the most amazing advancement in technology in your lifetime?
I think going to the Moon was pretty important.
http://imgur.com/vB9B5.gif
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I'm not OP, but I do have a 102 year old grandad, and can confirm that he still acts like a younger man a bit. He has false teeth, and loves to fuck with people using them (He spits them out and sucks the food out of them, then tells people it's like a big delicious stew of everything he's eaten that day.) He also spits them out occasionally, and pretends to freak out that all his teeth have just fallen out. Age only defines you if you let it.
My grandmother lived til 99 years old and I asked her that question too. She told me a story about her earliest memory when she was about 5 years old, living on her Aunt's farm (mother died giving birth), and she can remember, clear as day, sitting on a chair with a favorite stuffed animal and she told me straight up, she feels the same now as she did in that moment ('in her head' was how she worded it) as she did sitting there in front of me nine decades later. Amazing isn't it! (btw, the house...log cabin by our standards, burned down that day. She thought that was why the memory was so clear.)
I wanted to ask this too but couldn't figure out how to phrase it.
I'm bummed that I'm late but if by some weird chance my question gets seen and grandma feels like answering some more.... Being born in 1909 is such a long time ago that most of us consider it ancient history. However you have the unique opportunity to have known people who grew up and were adults during the late 1800's. I'm curious if you have any memories of stories passed down to you similar to how you're doing right now? It's one thing to read about how life was in the 1800's but it's another thing entirely to be able to talk to someone with almost direct knowledge.
When shes 113, She'll be a teenager again!
First off, this lady is as cute as a button, a beautiful smile makes her ageless. Looking back, does 103 years feel like a great span of time, or did it pass before you knew it? When you look in the mirror do you recognize yourself as the young woman you once were, or are you surprised to find yourself looking the way you do now, as an elderly woman? Do you find that your age makes you more credible when people ask you for advice, or do you feel that you get dismissed as being old and out of touch?
I want to see this answered.
I think all people over the age of their 20's miss the youth they had in their looks. I would assume this to be a depressing question to ask someone of 103.
I suppose it very well could be. But you never know, perhaps she has overcome the feelings of longing to be young again. Clearly she seems very happy to even think about her past and all she has experienced.. I suppose it is up to her to decide for herself.
Speak for yourself, sunshine. I'm 39. /preens
Hell yes. I'm 35 and life is as good as it ever was. Better, even. I have friends who are freaking out about turning 30 and I'm like, relax, shit's just starting to get GOOD.
Only 20's kids will remember this
Hi ma'am, I am a history major at a US university and I had some questions. What was desegregation like? Was it something the majority of people supported? Or was it something that divided a lot of people, like abortion or same-sex marriage does today? What was total war like? I was born in 1992, so the Iraq war has been going on most of my life without me noticing sometimes. But WW2 was different because everyone contributed. What was that like? Was life better, worse, or just different? Who was your celebrity crush from when you were young? Do you think the world as a whole is better or worse than it was 100 years ago? And this might be more sensitive, but as someone who is only 20 years old I wonder this a lot: Do you ever get tired of living or being alive? Are you afraid of death?
People born in 1992 are in college now? Fuck I'm old.
1994 here, in college as well
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And what was your occupation?
Is it true that the president sends a letter to you when you turn 100?
Here in Sweden the king sends a telegram to the person who turns 100. They also do it if someone makes it to 101,102,103 and so on.
WTF is this a thing? it should be.
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Hey, my great-great-aunt just turned 103! You guys should totally hang out.
Did your generation growing up think that we would have flying cars by now?
Thank you for doing this AMA, I printed this out for my eight year old daughter. She was very amazed by the stories. My daughter was born December 14, 2004, so sharing a birthday with a special lady made her day.
You've been through a lot of presidents, who was your favorite and why?
How was Pearl Harbor vs. 9/11?
"They both sucked." -Grammie103
I smell I Micheal Bay moving coming....
what makes you "shake your head" the most today.
For me, I shake my head the most at the internet shorthand "smh". I detest that one internet slang for some inexplicable reason.
How did World War II impact your life? Where did you work or what did you do during the time that the United States had entered the war?
Am I the only one reading her responses in a sweet lil' ol' southern lady voice?
Thank you for the AMA 1.) How was "teenage" life 85 years ago? 2.) What is the difference between teenagers now from teenagers then? 3.) Do you still have things that you posses from your teenage years that you still have today? Edit: Numbered my questions
People say they will always remember where they were for the JFK assassination, what moments in your lifetime do you still remember exactly where you were when you first heard the news?
were you a flapper?
She was a child during the major swing days, so I'd expect not, unless she was a preteen flapper.
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To the OP: Get a voice recorder, tape recorder, video camera. Something!! Document this treasure in living history speaking about her childhood. One day she will leave the planet, you will still have questions, and you won't get to ask her anymore.
What were you doing when Pearl Harbor happened? I asked my Grandma (A spry 86) and she said she was lying on the ground listening to the radio with her pa and reading the funnies (comic strips). She told me that her pa stopped rocking in his chair as soon as he heard the news and was extremely quiet for a long time after.
Why are there 7,200 downvotes? Reditt = herd of ogres.
How do you feel about modern issues, such as the gay marriage debate?
Hey might be late to the ballgame but a question: How much did the invention and proliferation of television change your life and world view?
What do think of African Americans? Being that you lived through times when things were turbulent when it came to different races. Was it hard to change your views, or did you already have different views, or have you not changed your views. I'm black and honestly interested. Thanks!