Generation X, Less Happy, Why?Nowadays divorce is so common it’s hard for people to try hard, fightthrough their problems and make a marriage last when there’s such an easy wayout, divorce. Marriages of earlier generations were sometimes happier, becausedivorce wasn’t the immediate anecdote to family or marital problems.
I come tothis conclusion from hearing about my moms childhood. My grandparents have stayed together to this day regardless of theirproblems which made my moms childhood happier. One incident which illuminatesmy moms childhood being happier is when my grandpa had to take care of the kidsbecause my grandmother was in the hospital. It was great for my mom to have herown father take care of them instead of being left with an aunt or a closefamily friend. My grandmother was told she’d be in the hospital for a couple of weeks ,it ended up being three.
This was the first time she was separated from herchildren, and the first time my grandpa, the businessman, had to take care ofthe house and kids. All the household duties changed and it was hectic, mygrandpa had to take on the mother role. He had to make breakfast for the kids,pack their lunches, go grocery shopping, help with homework and take the kids toschool. My mom who was only nine was the only girl so they made her make thebeds and clear the table. Those three weeks were hell, for all of them. For mygrandpa it was difficult to take care of everything and work over forty hours aweek.
For the children it was hard to be separated from mom. All mygrandmother did was worry the whole time about the kids, the house and mygrandpa probably having a nervous breakdown. It was very difficult, but this incident brought all of them closer, ina way. My grandmother missed her family as much as they missed her. My mom anduncles also became a lot closer to my grandfather. Overall this experienceshowed my grandparents how much they loved, missed, and needed each other but itwas better when they handled things together and then they knew they made theright decision by staying together.
This experience, in a way, showed them whatit would be like if they were divorced or separated, lonely, sad, and veryunpleasant. Maybe divorce wouldn’t have been as bad as they thought but I’mglad they thought that way for my moms sake and my own. It may be naive but inthe end it opened their eyes and my mom thinks her childhood was happier becauseof it, and I believe her.In conclusion, earlier generations may have thought divorce was a crimeand may not have known as much as we do but if they were happier like that maybewe should have never learned.
