-by Mimi Rothschild

In today’s life, we spend much of our time in age-segregated situations. Public school is one of the worst examples: not only do kids spend most of the day with people of exactly their own age, but often they are restricted from interacting with kids even just a year or two older. Even in our churches, we may divide the children into grades, have Sunday School classes for kids and adults broken down by age, and separate the old from the young for fellowship times as well. Many families live far from older relatives, and older people may choose to live in retirement communities rather than among noisy young families. Many of today’s kids are uncomfortable with elderly people, because they rarely spend time with them.

Is this God’s intention? Leviticus 19:32 tells us, “Rise in the presence of the aged, show respect for the elderly and revere your God.” That doesn’t suggest that we should avoid our elders. Proverbs 16:31 says, “Gray hair is a crown of glory. It is attained by a life of righteousness.” Job 12:12 teaches us that “Wisdom is with aged men; with long life is understanding.” These verses show that respect for the elderly is not only commanded by God, but deserved.

Still, the general separation of ages that we see in our country today can make it more difficult to help our children get accustomed to interacting with older people. One of the great things about homeschooling (and one of the things we can point out to those who fear that homeschooled kids don’t get “socialized” properly) is that our students often have more interaction with younger children and with adults. Other people may remark on how poised our kids are when they’re with adults, and how tender they are with their younger siblings. Let’s make the extra effort involved in bringing our children into contact with the older generation, too.

• If grandparents or great-grandparents don’t live nearby, give your kids the chance to learn the dying art of letter writing by building a letter to the grandparents into your weekly curriculum. A letter telling about what they’ve learned gives kids a great review opportunity, and the grandparents will enjoy it, too. You may also know some individual in your community who’d like to be your family’s courtesy grandparents, or “adopted” grandparent. Ask your pastor if there are any older members of the church who are isolated or far from their relatives.
• Visit a nursing home or retirement community. These facilities often have lots of visitors at Christmas, but not at other times of year. A young person who will read to, sing to, play chess with, or visit with residents can brighten their day. Be sure to call and discuss your plans with the administration first, and to check in at the nurses’ station or front desk when you arrive. Many such homes are strict about visitors and security, so your students will most enjoy their visit if it’s prearranged and they don’t face the risk of being challenged by staff.
• Arrange a skill swap with older people in your neighborhood. Many elderly people aren’t confident with computers, and would be pleased to have your teen come show them how to put their documents into digital folders, or to attach pictures to emails. In turn, your young people could learn to knit, to whittle, or to play an old-time game.

It may seem odd at first to set up opportunities for your kids to meet and spend time with their elders, but if those chances don’t come up naturally in their lives, it’s worth arranging. With practice, your students will become comfortable with the elderly and be able to learn from their wisdom.

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Mimi Rothschild is the Founder of LearningByGrace.org the nation’s leading provider of online PreK-12 online Christian educational programs for homeschoolers.