Thinking of your grandparents,

[ravinlunachick]

How do you compare in the categories below? It's ok if your answer is based on hunches, rather than hard facts. I'm just curious. :D I promise I'm not tallying answers to report to the government, either. I didn't mean for it to sound like the census so many were complaining about earlier this year. It's just a list of things I find myself thinking of frequently.

 

Family Size (more, fewer, or about the same # of kids?)

 

Size of your home?

 

Number of moves in your lifetime compared to them?

 

Do you have as much of a social support network as they did?

 

How do you think your nutrition compares to theirs? What about your overall health?

 

Educational Levels?

Edited October 3, 2011 by ravinlunachick

[Lolly]

How do you compare in the categories below? It's ok if your answer is based on hunches, rather than hard facts. I'm just curious. :D I promise I'm not tallying answers to report to the government, either. I didn't mean for it to sound like the census so many were complaining about earlier this year. It's just a list of things I find myself thinking of frequently.

 

Family Size (more, fewer, or about the same # of kids?) Grandparents: Many, many more kids (18)/ parents: same #(4)/me: 4

 

Size of your home?grandparents: tiny. very./parents: small, but 4 bedroom/me: large

 

Number of moves in your lifetime compared to them? Grandparents: two/parents: ummm...lots and lots/me: as a child a lot. as an adult 2

 

Do you have as much of a social support network as they did?Grandparents: small/parents: very small/ me: virtually non-existant

How do you think your nutrition compares to theirs? What about your overall health?Grandparents: excellent/parents: excellent/ mine: excellent

 

 

I entered parents generation as well.:tongue_smilie:

Edited October 3, 2011 by Lolly

[Lara in Colo]

How do you compare in the categories below? It's ok if your answer is based on hunches, rather than hard facts. I'm just curious. :D I promise I'm not tallying answers to report to the government, either. I didn't mean for it to sound like the census so many were complaining about earlier this year. It's just a list of things I find myself thinking of frequently.

 

Family Size (more, fewer, or about the same # of kids?)

Fewer than one, more one one

Size of your home?

 

Larger

Number of moves in your lifetime compared to them?

a lot more

Do you have as much of a social support network as they did?

no

How do you think your nutrition compares to theirs? What about your overall health?

I would say nutrition is worse, health about the same---I think food quality is worse for us, but medicine is better--I also think they excercised more (work was more labor intensive)

[ravinlunachick]

My answers are in blue.

 

Family Size (more, fewer, or about the same # of kids?)Both my parents were only children, so I have TRIPLE the number of kids they did, lol. Still, by the standards of their times, I'd have a small family.

 

Size of your home? Even though my home is pretty modest and smaller than average for my area, it's much larger than any home they ever had. I doubt it is as well-built, though.

 

Number of moves in your lifetime compared to them? One set of grandparents worked for a textile mill, and moved numerous times within the same mill village. The other lived until she died in the house in which she was born. I've moved a grand total of 5 times.

 

Do you have as much of a social support network as they did? Absolutely not. :(

 

How do you think your nutrition compares to theirs?For the most part, they probably ate much better than we do. One grandparent lived on a self-sufficient farm. The only things they bought were coffee, sugar, and cloth. Seriously. MY mom grew up with a smokehouse in her backyard. They even made their own bacon, and she used to feel bad because she couldn't have store-bought food like the other kids at school. Can you imagine? What about your overall health? I've certainly led a less physically demanding life than they did, so I'm probably in better health. OTOH, none of them were overweight at all, and I am, so I could be wrong about that.

[regentrude]

Family Size (more, fewer, or about the same # of kids?)

 

maternal: they had one more child

paternal: dad is an only child. Father was killed in the war.

 

Size of your home?

 

larger

 

Number of moves in your lifetime compared to them?

 

Maternal: more than a dozen moves. refugee during the war

Paternal: moved once- from parent's home to their own house where she lived for 70 years.

 

Do you have as much of a social support network as they did?

 

No.

 

How do you think your nutrition compares to theirs? What about your overall health?

My grandmothers were in great health, both lived beyond ninety in full.

My grandfathers were dead before I was born; heart disease killed one, a bullet the other.

Nutrition: certainly disastrous in war and post-war time. After that, they ate comparable to how we eat. This said: they loved meat and butter and thick sauces and things we would consider unhealthy today - but my grandma walked several miles each day.

Edited October 3, 2011 by regentrude

[Jean in Newcastle]

How do you compare in the categories below? It's ok if your answer is based on hunches, rather than hard facts. I'm just curious. :D I promise I'm not tallying answers to report to the government, either. I didn't mean for it to sound like the census so many were complaining about earlier this year. It's just a list of things I find myself thinking of frequently.

 

Family Size (more, fewer, or about the same # of kids?) both sets of grandparents had large families. I only have two kids.

 

Size of your home? Our house is larger.

 

Number of moves in your lifetime compared to them? They stayed in spot. I've moved a number of times, including overseas.

 

Do you have as much of a social support network as they did? not sure. They had church and family and friends. I have church and family and friends.

 

How do you think your nutrition compares to theirs? What about your overall health?

My paternal grandparents had organic food from their farm. They lived into their nineties. My maternal grandparents were not as healthy and were city folk. I've had chronic illness since my late teens.

[DawnM]

I would be interested in educational levels as well.

 

My paternal grandfather had a PhD and was a professor. My grandmother was a nurse.

 

However, on my mother's side, her mother never finished high school.

 

The two sides are VASTLY different in most of the categories you mentioned, so I would have to answer twice.

 

Dawn

[gingersmom]

How do you compare in the categories below? It's ok if your answer is based on hunches, rather than hard facts. I'm just curious. :D I promise I'm not tallying answers to report to the government, either. I didn't mean for it to sound like the census so many were complaining about earlier this year. It's just a list of things I find myself thinking of frequently.

 

Family Size (more, fewer, or about the same # of kids?)

Paternal grandparents: 3 kids

Maternal grandparents-1 child

 

I have 2

 

Size of your home?

 

Both sets of grandparents lived in apartments

I grew up in an extremely large home.

 

We live in a small house. :001_smile:

 

We live in a small house. :001_smile:

 

Number of moves in your lifetime compared to them?

 

Both sets of grandparents lived in NY and moved to Florida. One stayed, one moved back to NY.

 

I have moved several times

 

Do you have as much of a social support network as they did?

 

Not sure. They probably had more.

 

How do you think your nutrition compares to theirs? What about your overall health?

 

I think my nutrition is equal to theirs. My grandfather was in amazing health till his mid-80s and even when dying of cancer he was trying to go at 100 miles/hour. My grandmother could have lived to be 100 if she wanted to

Edited October 3, 2011 by gingersmom

[Parrothead]

Family Size (more, fewer, or about the same # of kids?)

We have fewer. One grandmother had 4, the other 5.

 

 

Size of your home?

Ours is bigger, but not by much. Of course during the last 20 years I've lived in both smaller and larger than either of my grands.

 

Number of moves in your lifetime compared to them?

We have more, many more.

 

 

Do you have as much of a social support network as they did?

No - probably due to so many moves.

 

How do you think your nutrition compares to theirs? What about your overall health?

Comparable nutrition. One grandmother lived to be 83. The other is 85 and still living. One grandfather died after contracting a communicable disease when my parent was a toddler. The other grandfather died 13 years ago of a massive heart attack.

[DawnM]

My answers in green

 

How do you compare in the categories below? It's ok if your answer is based on hunches, rather than hard facts. I'm just curious. :D I promise I'm not tallying answers to report to the government, either. I didn't mean for it to sound like the census so many were complaining about earlier this year. It's just a list of things I find myself thinking of frequently.

 

PATERNAL SIDE as I know more about them.

 

Family Size (more, fewer, or about the same # of kids?)

 

Grandfather married and had 2 kids, his first wife died and he married my Grandmother. Together they had 3 more. I only have 3.

 

Size of your home?

 

Theirs was always small.

 

Number of moves in your lifetime compared to them?

 

They moved a lot. They were missionaries in China. So back and forth. Then my Grandfather was a seminary professor, so he taught at a seminary in Kentucky and in Oregon.

 

Do you have as much of a social support network as they did?

 

They had a lot of social support I believe. Not internet type, but they wrote letters a LOT.

 

How do you think your nutrition compares to theirs? What about your overall health?

 

Hmmmm.....They probably ate better because they had real foods! My grandmother was always thin and my grandfather was always a bit heavier than ideal weight. I don't really know.

 

[kewb]

Family Size (more, fewer, or about the same # of kids?): Same number of kids as my grandparents, my great-grandparents, on the other hand, had many more kids than me.

 

Size of your home? About the same.

 

Number of moves in your lifetime compared to them? So far, fewer moves.

 

Do you have as much of a social support network as they did? No, I do not think my social network is as large as theirs was.

 

How do you think your nutrition compares to theirs? What about your overall health? In general, I think my nutrition and overall health are better then theirs. Well, except for my grandma who is turning a 100 in a few months. I should be so lucky as to live as long as her with the same great health she enjoys.

[LAS in LA]

How do you compare in the categories below? It's ok if your answer is based on hunches, rather than hard facts. I'm just curious. :D I promise I'm not tallying answers to report to the government, either. I didn't mean for it to sound like the census so many were complaining about earlier this year. It's just a list of things I find myself thinking of frequently.

 

Family Size (more, fewer, or about the same # of kids?) More

 

Size of your home? Smaller house, Much smaller property size

 

Number of moves in your lifetime compared to them? Many more moves for us. My Grandmother lived in her house for 60 years! The house she and Granddaddy built on their weekends during the '30s. :001_wub:

 

Do you have as much of a social support network as they did? We have exposure to a wider variety of "real life" people, but not as strong a support network, I think.

 

How do you think your nutrition compares to theirs? What about your overall health? We eat a wider variety of foods, probably fewer vegetables. We have more diagnosed health problems. They probably had more exposure to things like lead (Granddaddy was a housepainter) and pesticides (Grandpa was a farmer). I think of all of them as "tougher" and more resiliant, in spite of all that white bread they were eating. :001_smile:

 

Thanks for the neat questions! I love to think about my grandparents. FWIW, one of the best ps projects I was given was to make a recording of 3 grandparents talking about their experiences during the Great Depression. What a blessing to be able to hear their voices after they pass away! Grandpa ended up by saying "Well, that's what they call 'the good old days'." :lol:

[ravinlunachick]

Educational levels!! Why didn't I think of adding that one? Back to edit the OP...

 

Oh, and my paternal grandfather had a 3rd grade education. He left school to work and support his mother after his father died. My paternal grandmother went until 6th grade. I have no idea about my maternal grandparents, but I do know that they never graduated high school.

[Aubrey]

How do you compare in the categories below? It's ok if your answer is based on hunches, rather than hard facts. I'm just curious. :D I promise I'm not tallying answers to report to the government, either. I didn't mean for it to sound like the census so many were complaining about earlier this year. It's just a list of things I find myself thinking of frequently.

 

Family Size (more, fewer, or about the same # of kids?)

 

Exactly the same as both sets.

 

Size of your home?

 

Smaller at the moment, but on one side, grm still lives in the house they bought when dad was 1yo--2 bed/1 bath. It's a rare exception that my home is smaller than that. On the other side, grm was married to military, so I'm sure it varied a lot.

 

Number of moves in your lifetime compared to them?

 

I guess I just answered that--a lot more than the one who's still living in the same house. Probably fewer than military grm, but for this age? Probably comparable.

 

Do you have as much of a social support network as they did?

 

It depends on how you look at it. I think the people they had around them were probably more & more consistent than I've got, but I think there was a lot more...judgement from those people. I've got more freedom to choose fewer & better friends. Family has thinned out for me, too, & the ones left tend to be more accepting of differences than I think theirs would have been.

 

How do you think your nutrition compares to theirs? What about your overall health?

 

It would be hard to do worse than their nutrition--they both believed in cooking everything in bacon grease & eating the fat off their meat. Health--one grf died at 63 due, surprisingly, to heart disease. Another is...morbidly unhealthy, or was last I heard of him. Grm--one has an anurism but has seemed pretty healthy until recently & is even dealing w/ that well. The other, not very good at all--heart issues, diabetes, etc. For my age, I don't know how much better off I am, but in the long run, I hope that better choices will trump genes. :001_smile:

 

ETA: Did education levels get added, or did I miss it? I have one grandmother who got her GED after I finished high school, one who finished high school & took a class or two at the college (I think). I don't know about my grandfathers--high school for one, I'm pretty sure--he was a truck driver, & the other...I think I heard he either attended or wanted to attend seminary, but that one I only met once. I suspect he does not have a college degree, based on the rest of his life. I have a master's. I was the first in my family to finish a BA, although my sister finished a semester after me.

Edited October 4, 2011 by Aubrey

[LAS in LA]

All four finished high school, I think. Grandpa may have finished after 8th grade. Actually, I should check on this. I'm really not sure. Grandma definitely did finish high school.

[Mrs Mungo]

Family Size (more, fewer, or about the same # of kids?)

 

Same # as my mom's parents, 2 fewer kids than my dad's parents.

 

Size of your home?

 

Somewhat bigger than mom's parents, similar to dad's parents.

 

Number of moves in your lifetime compared to them?

 

LOADS more moves for us.

 

Do you have as much of a social support network as they did?

 

Nope, not even close.

 

How do you think your nutrition compares to theirs? What about your overall health?

 

Definitely better nutrition, and probably healthier, at least in some ways. I think both of my grandmother's had hysterectomies at around 40.

 

Educational Levels?

 

Higher than my mom's parents, same as my dad's dad, higher than my dad's mom (she got her GED after some of her kids had graduated).

[justamouse]

 

Family Size (more, fewer, or about the same # of kids?)

 

grands have 5, we have 7, MIL and parents have 2

 

Size of your home?

 

last year it was wee, this year it's very large.

 

Number of moves in your lifetime compared to them?

 

3? Me? I moved about 18 times, but most of that was when I was a kid. My children have known three moves.

 

Do you have as much of a social support network as they did?

heck no. When my grandfather died, the TOWN came out. The TOWN. He built his life in that town, as a scout leader that ranked 21 Eagles, for a family that was known as good and loyal, as a business man and later as mayor. His funeral had a huge impact on me. I didn't want to die in some town, unknown. I wanted to be a part of a community and be a person that helped.

 

How do you think your nutrition compares to theirs? What about your overall health?

 

My nutrition is MUCH better. My grandparents-both sets-grew up in post war American and their 'meals' were moving away from the "Victory Garden'. Industrialization had set in and packaged foods were a novelty that hadn't worn off, yet. That has caused problems as far as their health goes.

 

Educational Levels?

 

Entrepreneurs, housewives, and professionals.

 

 

.

[myfunnybunch]

Family Size (more, fewer, or about the same # of kids?)

Fewer. My father's parents had three children. I have five, my sis has 8. My mother's mom had three as well; one from her first marriage, and two from her second.

 

Size of your home?

Larger.

 

Number of moves in your lifetime compared to them?

Not sure. My mother's mother lived in the same town all her life. My father's parents moved a few times.

 

Do you have as much of a social support network as they did?

Yes.

 

How do you think your nutrition compares to theirs? What about your overall health?

We eat pretty much the same way they did, except we eat a lot more green vegetables. Their diet is very much meat-and-potatoes, with lots of fresh fruits and some veggies. I hope I stay as healthy as my father's parents and both of my parents.

 

Educational Levels?

All of my grandparents finished high school. None of their parents were able to finish high school. Both of my parents and some of their siblings went to college. All of my siblings went to college.

 

Cat

[Wheres Toto]

Family Size (more, fewer, or about the same # of kids?)

Maternal grandmother (2 different fathers) had 9 children

Paternal grandparents had 4 children

My parents had 2

 

Size of your home?

Maternal grandparents never owned a home that I'm aware of.

Paternal grandparents slightly larger than ours in square footage but only 2 bedrooms.

 

Number of moves in your lifetime compared to them?

Maternal grandmother moved a lot once kids were mostly grown.

Paternal grandparents never moved once they were married.

Do you have as much of a social support network as they did?

Maternal grandmother worked as a nurse but didn't seem to have much social support.

Paternal grandparents were very active in their church, had lots of friends and were close to family.

 

How do you think your nutrition compares to theirs? What about your overall health?

Maternal grandmother - very poor, not good nutrition for her or the kids

Paternal grandparents - better nutrition, had extensive vegetable garden, raised chickens, cooked from scratch.

 

General health - Maternal grandmother died of metastasized lung cancer from a life of smoking at 75 years old.

Paternal grandfather died at 80+ years old of ALS.

Paternal grandmother died at 80+ years old.

Educational Levels?

Maternal grandmother was a LPN.

Paternal grandfather worked in a bank, I believe he had some post high school education.

Paternal grandmother worked for an aircraft radio company. Graduated high school but I don't think anything more.

Edited October 3, 2011 by dottieanna29

[elegantlion]

How do you compare in the categories below? It's ok if your answer is based on hunches, rather than hard facts. I'm just curious. :D I promise I'm not tallying answers to report to the government, either. I didn't mean for it to sound like the census so many were complaining about earlier this year. It's just a list of things I find myself thinking of frequently.

 

Family Size (more, fewer, or about the same # of kids?)

 

smaller than all

 

Size of your home?

depends, about the same as some, bigger than others.

 

Number of moves in your lifetime compared to them?

One grandmother was an alcoholic, married several times, moved a lot. We move less than her, the others lived in the same area most of their lives.

 

Do you have as much of a social support network as they did?

 

I have not a clue. Two sets lived in the country, but probably had an active church family.

 

How do you think your nutrition compares to theirs? What about your overall health?

 

Health is better, nutrition? Two sets lived in the country and grew their own food, raised chickens, so we're not better than them.

 

Educational Levels? My great grandmother was a doctor in Germany before they immigrated to the US. She didn't have her license here, but took care of the family instead. The rest were most likely high school graduates at best. Ironically, my mother (same line as the doctor) was told if she wanted to graduate from high school she'd have to figure out how to get there herself. They lived miles in the country, so she had to move to town and lived in her own apartment and worked to support herself. All so she could graduate high school!

 

 

 

I'm mid 40s, I was the younger of the grandchildren on both sides. So my parents are in their 70s, grandparents all deceased, many living into their 90s.

[Rosie_0801]

Family Size (more, fewer, or about the same # of kids?)

 

My maternal grandparents had 5, paternal had 2. We have 2.

 

Size of your home?

 

Much the same. All of our houses could have done with a bit more space!

 

Number of moves in your lifetime compared to them?

 

My paternal grandparents moved all the time. As soon as my grandmother had fixed up the yard, she got bored. My maternal grandparents lived for 45 years in the same house. If we ever buy a house, we'll be staying there until they carry us out!

 

Do you have as much of a social support network as they did?

 

No.

 

How do you think your nutrition compares to theirs? What about your overall health?

 

We have a lot more information now, so we can act on it.

 

Educational Levels?

 

Ours are higher. They had better job security. Which one is best?

 

Rosie

[Laurie4b]

How do you compare in the categories below? It's ok if your answer is based on hunches, rather than hard facts. I'm just curious. :D I promise I'm not tallying answers to report to the government, either. I didn't mean for it to sound like the census so many were complaining about earlier this year. It's just a list of things I find myself thinking of frequently.

 

Family Size (more, fewer, or about the same # of kids?) more kids : 4 compared to 2/3

 

Size of your home? smaller than either

 

Number of moves in your lifetime compared to them? fewer

 

Do you have as much of a social support network as they did?much larger

 

How do you think your nutrition compares to theirs? What about your overall health?Better in some ways: less saturated fat for sure! Whole grains not white. Much more chicken and fish. They ate mostly beef. One grandfather was a farmer so nearly all of their fruits and veges were fresh. Their milk came from their own cows. None of it was even close to organic, LOL! Other grandparents had a huge garden so lots of their veges were fresh too.

 

Educational Levels?

They were all high school. IDh and I are grad school

[laughing lioness]

Family Size (more, fewer, or about the same # of kids?) Paternal had 2. Maternal had 2 adopted kids. We have 5. They all wanted more. We did too.

 

Size of your home? Paternal- they lived in a big ole' farmhouse- so do we. Maternal. 1/2 the size of ours (or less) in Chi-town.

 

Number of moves in your lifetime compared to them? Paternal grandparents moved to farmhouse when married, built a brick home in their 70's. Maternal moved in when married. Dh and I have lived in 8 houses/ apt. in 6 different states.

 

Do you have as much of a social support network as they did? Heck no.

 

How do you think your nutrition compares to theirs? What about your overall health? Their health was phenomenol. Maternal grandma still lives in her own home at age 96. Paternal grandparents both died in their 90's. They were never sick. Paternal g'pas ate what they grew, canned, cooked from scratch, were farmers. Much better health than us.

 

All of them left school between 3rd and 8th grade. My maternal grandma did accounting classes at CC and night school- worked for decades at GTE in the accounting dept (made GREAT money for her level of ed). Dh and I both have a couple grad degrees.

Edited October 3, 2011 by laughing lioness

[twoforjoy]

Family Size (more, fewer, or about the same # of kids?)

 

My maternal grandparents had four kids, one of whom died shortly after birth; my paternal grandparents had five kids.

 

We've got three right now.

 

Size of your home?

 

I don't know. I know my maternal grandparents started out in an apartment in Jersey City, which I can't imagine was very big. I think my paternal grandparents raised their kids in a three-bedroom.

 

We've got five people in a 800 sq. ft. two-bedroom right now.

 

Number of moves in your lifetime compared to them?

 

I'm not sure.

 

Do you have as much of a social support network as they did?

 

I'm sure they had more. Both sets of grandparents lived very close to their families. We don't. I've managed to find a nice group of friends in my neighborhood, but it's not the same as having a lot of family nearby.

 

How do you think your nutrition compares to theirs? What about your overall health?

 

Probably better, on both counts.

 

Educational Levels?

 

My paternal grandfather dropped out in the 7th grade to work, and my paternal grandmother had a high school diploma. She was really, really smart and did extremely well in school--she was first in her class--but her mother died when she was 16 and she had to take over caring for her father and siblings, and so furthering her education wasn't an option. My maternal grandfather had a master's degree in history (he was a high school teacher), and my maternal grandmother I'm not sure about. I know she didn't go to college but I can't remember if she graduated high school.

 

I have a master's degree and my husband has a doctorate.

[Denisemomof4]

Family Size (more, fewer, or about the same # of kids?)

 

one grandmother had three kids, one had two. I have four.

 

Size of your home?

 

much, much larger than both sets of grandparents.

 

Number of moves in your lifetime compared to them?

 

in my childhood, 3. In my married life, 1. Them? I don't know.

 

Do you have as much of a social support network as they did?

 

No. My grandparents had family all around them. I have friends; good friends, but my two best friends in the area (two are out of state) homeschool (one) and work full time (other) so it's hard to see each other. Still, when ever either of us has something going on and need to talk, I'm the first one my two friends call, and depending on the situation, I will call one of them right away, too. They're very supportive.

 

I still wish community and family were still huge support systems.

 

 

How do you think your nutrition compares to theirs? What about your overall health?

 

They were healthier while we eat healthier. They ate all cooked foods, meat and potato type meals, lots of sweets including soda. We limit sweets and eat whole foods, many raw salads/veggies/legumes.

 

Educational Levels?

 

They didn't graduate high school, I did, then went to college but not long enough to graduate...... my biggest regret as I really wanted to be a nurse. :sad:

[EmilyK]

How do you compare in the categories below? It's ok if your answer is based on hunches, rather than hard facts. I'm just curious. :D I promise I'm not tallying answers to report to the government, either. I didn't mean for it to sound like the census so many were complaining about earlier this year. It's just a list of things I find myself thinking of frequently.

 

Family Size (more, fewer, or about the same # of kids?) fewer kids (though both my father-in-law and I were only kids)

 

Size of your home? larger

 

Number of moves in your lifetime compared to them? about the same. most of my family has been in the us since the 1700s or 1800s but they moved to a new farm frequently. my ancestors generally didn't die where they were born.

 

Do you have as much of a social support network as they did? Probably more. Being a farm wife could be lonely, and not everyone in a small town has the same interests or values as you do. I'm sure I have more friends that I can confide in, for example.

 

How do you think your nutrition compares to theirs? What about your overall health? Nutrition probably better. Hard to compare I think -- more whole foods, more sugar, more meat, lots of day to day exercise for them.

 

Educational Levels? Education has been valued in my family for many generations, but some people had to stop early because of family circumstances (dad dies and you have to run the farm). People in my family seem to marry late though -- late 20s or even 30s.

 

 

 

responses above.

[gaillardia]

How do you compare in the categories below? It's ok if your answer is based on hunches, rather than hard facts. I'm just curious. :D I promise I'm not tallying answers to report to the government, either. I didn't mean for it to sound like the census so many were complaining about earlier this year. It's just a list of things I find myself thinking of frequently.

 

Family Size (more, fewer, or about the same # of kids?)All of my grandparents except one grandfather, came from very large families. Larger than the one I came from, larger than the one I'm creating. My family is larger than the one my parents created.

 

Size of your home? Comparable, mine is not small, theirs were medium, my parents was a small medium.

 

Number of moves in your lifetime compared to them? No idea. How many times do some young couples and families move? We have moved 10 times in 30 years, and we're not military.

 

Do you have as much of a social support network as they did? The social support was mainly family on both sides. But my one side was a little more ... politically active, I guess, which would mean lots of friends and connections.

 

How do you think your nutrition compares to theirs? What about your overall health? I like to think mine is better, but maybe not. I liked the food at one grandparents', but not the other! My overall health is better than half of one side, about the same or better as the other side.

 

Educational Levels? One grandmother was a public school teacher. I didn't go to college, but she did.

I am the youngest grandchild of 12 and three of my grandparents passed away when I was a teenager, so there are gaps in my knowledge of their lives.

And about the census, I'm sure I could find out information about their whereabouts according to the census up to a certain point, which would tell me if they had moved, from one census to the next. I found out from census that after my great-grandmother died (a few days after childbirth), her whole family (about 9 kids and husband) moved in with other family members. This was around 1910's. My grandmother had never mentioned that situation.

[Lady Florida.]

Family Size (more, fewer, or about the same # of kids?)

 

Fewer, though neither had many kids. My mother was the oldest of three girls, my father was the middle son in a family of three boys.

 

Size of your home?

Larger.

Number of moves in your lifetime compared to them?

I'm not really sure about my paternal grandparents. My grandfather died before I was born, and my grandmother lived with my uncle and his family. My father didn't talk much about his childhood.

 

Maternal: fewer for me. My grandfather was a jack of all trades, master of none. He moved his family whenever he came up with a new plan for making money. Even after they "retired" in Florida, they moved 3 times.

 

Do you have as much of a social support network as they did?

Yes, though it's a different type. Their support network was mostly family and some friends. Mine is mostly friends and some family.

 

How do you think your nutrition compares to theirs? What about your overall health?

 

Mine is better on both counts. They boiled the nutrition out of vegetables, and loved butter. Lots of butter. They also loved white bread and the only whole grain I think they ate was oatmeal. They all had high blood pressure and some had heart disease. As someone else mentioned, post WWII nutrition left a lot to be desired.

Educational Levels?

None of them had more than a high school education, and my maternal grandmother didn't even have that. I have a college degree.

[Farrar]

Like everyone else. Smaller family (mostly), bigger home, more education, better nutrition (though not so much better than my maternal grands, who were always into good food), more moves.

 

Thinking about my grandmother (who is still living), I am often amazed. She grew up poor, picking cotton in the depression. She had an abusive mother, a lot of siblings, and only made it through the 6th grade. There's such a gap between our lives that it boggles my mind. But we find ways to connect - she taught me to can tomatoes, she loves on my kids, she laughs with me about decorating shows on TV. I feel blessed to still have her in my life.

[WishboneDawn]

I'm going to go with my paternal grandparents since I know a lot more about them.

 

Family Size (more, fewer, or about the same # of kids?)

Much smaller.

 

Size of your home?

Much bigger.

 

Number of moves in your lifetime compared to them?

Much less.

 

Do you have as much of a social support network as they did?

I have a better support network.

 

How do you think your nutrition compares to theirs? What about your overall health?

Our nutrition is MUCH better. Health probably better as well.

 

Educational Levels?

Definitely higher.

[mcconnellboys]

Family Size (more, fewer, or about the same # of kids?) Compared to all our grandparents, fewer children. Compared to both our sets of parents, the same....

 

Size of your home? Compared to all our sets of grandparents, larger. Compared to both our sets of parents, about the same.

 

Number of moves in your lifetime compared to them? More than my grandparents or parents. About the same for my husband's parents.

 

Do you have as much of a social support network as they did? No, and I really hate that, too.... I wish it were different. I was just watching large family groups gathered in Wisconsin for family reunions, etc. and missing that our family has never maintained a level of closeness since my grandparents' generation....

 

How do you think your nutrition compares to theirs? What about your overall health? Well, they ate locally grown, farmed food. I think that was healthier than the pre-fab stuff that's shoved at most of us now days. My own family is trying to get back to that more, where we can. We have seen some improvement in our health as a direct result of this (I believe). I have read that my generation may be the first that does not live longer than their grandparents because of the changes in our food system....

 

Educational Levels? Ours is greater than either our grandparents or parents.

[missiemick]

How do you compare in the categories below? It's ok if your answer is based on hunches, rather than hard facts. I'm just curious. :D I promise I'm not tallying answers to report to the government, either. I didn't mean for it to sound like the census so many were complaining about earlier this year. It's just a list of things I find myself thinking of frequently.

 

Family Size (more, fewer, or about the same # of kids?)

They had six children and I have four.

Size of your home?

About the same although at one time I had a bigger house.

Number of moves in your lifetime compared to them?

About the same.

Do you have as much of a social support network as they did?

About the same.

How do you think your nutrition compares to theirs? What about your overall health?

I think our nutrition and health are better.

Educational Levels?

We have more education.

[kalanamak]

How do you compare in the categories below? It's ok if your answer is based on hunches, rather than hard facts. I'm just curious. :D I promise I'm not tallying answers to report to the government, either. I didn't mean for it to sound like the census so many were complaining about earlier this year. It's just a list of things I find myself thinking of frequently.

 

Family Size (more, fewer, or about the same # of kids?)

 

Size of your home?

 

Number of moves in your lifetime compared to them?

 

Do you have as much of a social support network as they did?

 

How do you think your nutrition compares to theirs? What about your overall health?

 

Educational Levels?

 

PGPs had 4 kids, MGPs one (autopsy revealed massive fibroids in MGM).

 

PGM ended up with small house, because after 4 babies, GF died. GM had to support family (as clerk of the court). HER mother had a big house that is now a B&B.

MGP had much more land and houses in San Deigo. MGM was a shrew investor.

 

I have moved more, but once I was done with school, I don't move much.

 

I come from a long line of independent cusses on both sides. Not much "social support" for any of us. My MGM was religious, and probably had a church family. She also belonged to the DAR.

 

I think health and nutrition was pretty good for all. MGF had rheumatic heart disease, I think, but died of Hodgkins. My MGM was a naturopath and whole foods was her bag. She died of untreated fibroids pressing on ureters causing kidney failure. She refused treatment.

PGM died of uterine cancer, and PGF had severe inflammatory arthritis and died of experimental surgery in 1920, in a desperate bid for a cure.

 

PGF= J.D. in 1906

PGM= BA, class of 1901 (A 4.0 average)

 

MGM= naturopath from the Lindlar school in Chicago, class of 1925. She had trained as a dairy maid manager in Germany.

PGF= not sure on education. He was a ship's librarian in Germany, and a landscapers in San Diego. I know he patented inventions (airplane wings, e.g.).

[KristinaBreece]

 

Family Size (more, fewer, or about the same # of kids?) Smaller family than both sets of grandparents. My dad was the only boy of 8 kids, and my mom has 3 sisters.

 

Size of your home? Smaller right now than the home my mother grew up in. About the same size as the home my father grew up in. Wow. I can't imagine raising 8 kids in a 900-1000 sf house. I think it gets crowded with just 2 little ones.

 

Number of moves in your lifetime compared to them? More. My maternal grandma lived in the same house from the day she was born until the day she died. We just moved here from there.

 

My paternal grandparents lived in the same house from the day they married until all of their kids had grown, then they moved to an apartment. They lived there until my grandfather died, and my grandmother moved to Kentucky to marry a small-time televangelist. :001_huh:

 

Do you have as much of a social support network as they did? Definitely not.

 

How do you think your nutrition compares to theirs? What about your overall health? We're definitely doing better in terms of nutrition. We just know more now. My grandma fried everything in bacon grease, and added butter to it all. As far as overall health, I would say my health is better than my maternal grandma's was at my age, because she started a lifelong battle with debilitating RA at 21, and better than my paternal grandfather's was at any age. My paternal grandmother and my maternal grandfather are still in pretty good shape at 74 and 65.

 

.

[usetoschool]

 

Family Size (more, fewer, or about the same # of kids?)

 

mom's side - more than them, dad's side - fewer than them

 

Size of your home?

 

larger than any dad's side owned but about the same as the house my mom grew up in

 

Number of moves in your lifetime compared to them?

 

fewer

 

Do you have as much of a social support network as they did?

 

yes, though my mom's parents belonged to a ton of clubs and groups and had a million friends - the kind of clubs that really don't exists any more or people don't seem to belong to as much.

 

How do you think your nutrition compares to theirs? What about your overall health?

 

better on both counts, though I have kind of taken my dna inheritance for granted and could be much healthier than them if I was more careful.

 

Educational Levels?

 

better educated (but not nearly as well educated as my grandpa even though he only graduated from high school)

 

 

My grandparents had pretty good, average lives and we are a little ahead of them I guess - more so on one side than the other.

[freesia]

How do you compare in the categories below? It's ok if your answer is based on hunches, rather than hard facts. I'm just curious. :D I promise I'm not tallying answers to report to the government, either. I didn't mean for it to sound like the census so many were complaining about earlier this year. It's just a list of things I find myself thinking of frequently.

 

Family Size (more, fewer, or about the same # of kids?)

maternal: same

paternal: we have 1 more

 

Size of your home?

Maternal: ours is smaller

paternal: ours is larger

 

Number of moves in your lifetime compared to them?

We have moved more than either family.

 

Do you have as much of a social support network as they did?

We have similar social support networks.

 

How do you think your nutrition compares to theirs? What about your overall health?

We have better nutrition. Probably the same health at this age.

 

Educational Levels?

Maternal: My grandfather had an MBS, grandmother high school, I have a BA plus some random masters credits.

Paternal: I have more education than either.

 

 

.

[JumpedIntoTheDeepEndFirst]

Generally speaking:

 

As compared to my grandparents generation... (of course their generation-in my family in particular-were almost all born in the 19th century)

 

Family Size (more, fewer, or about the same # of kids?) Fewer kids

 

Size of your home? Larger

 

Number of moves in your lifetime compared to them? Many more

 

Do you have as much of a social support network as they did? Probably but differently organized. We don't live close to all our family members but do have many friends around the world.

 

How do you think your nutrition compares to theirs? What about your overall health? Our nutrition isn't too much worse. The main difference is that they had more passive exercise and used fewer prepared foods.

 

Educational Levels? Much higher, if measured in graduations. But their quality of grammar school education was higher. My generation has many more university degrees though. They had much higher practical life skills-cooking, canning, farming/gardening, home repair, etc.

[mommylaw]

Family Size: paternal-9 maternal-5 (same as me)

 

Size of your home? My home is larger than both

 

Number of moves in your lifetime compared to them? Less than my paternal as my grandfather was a captain in the NAVY. More than my maternal as they moved three times is 50 years. Dh and I have had 4 addresses.

 

Do you have as much of a social support network as they did? I imagine we were equal. Although my paternal grandmother was the epitome of an officer's wife who loved to entertain. :tongue_smilie:

 

How do you think your nutrition compares to theirs? What about your overall health? My nutrition is not nearly as good as my maternal grandparents. My grandfather was a food chemist. He didn't allow any preservatives or chemicals in their food. When we visited my Nana would go to the bakery once a week and buy donuts for us kids. I will always remember his disapproving smile as we gobbled them up.

 

Educational Levels? All of us have at least a bachelor's degree

[ravinlunachick]

Thanks for all the replies. This really is fascinating for me. I am laughing at the Cream of Mushroom soup reference, and nodding along wrt the quality of the education compared to ours. My family is an old one. I am "only" 35, but all 4 of my grandparents were born within the first decade of the twentieth century. Like a previous poster said, the difference between their world and mine is astounding.

[Renee in NC]

Family Size (more, fewer, or about the same # of kids?) - More

 

Size of your home? - MUCH smaller

 

Number of moves in your lifetime compared to them? Fewer moves

 

Do you have as much of a social support network as they did? Less of a social support network

 

How do you think your nutrition compares to theirs? What about your overall health? - About the same

 

Educational Levels? Somewhat more

 

The above is answered based on my paternal grandparents. My maternal grandparents were not educated, poor, moved many times, and overall have had a much lower quality of life.

Edited October 4, 2011 by Renee in FL

[Pamela H in Texas]

Family Size (more, fewer, or about the same # of kids?) We had two while they had three. We will bypass them significantly if we start adopting (first the three and possibly more late).

 

Size of your home? Ours is considerably larger. Ours was even when my first kids were little and we've moved up considerably from there.

 

Number of moves in your lifetime compared to them? We have probably moved 10times as much as they did, if not more than that even.

 

Do you have as much of a social support network as they did? I would guess they had a better and more stable support network.

 

How do you think your nutrition compares to theirs? What about your overall health? Probably similar.

 

Educational Levels? I have more education.

 

I based all of the above on my maternal grandparents.

[FrogMom5]

How do you compare in the categories below? It's ok if your answer is based on hunches, rather than hard facts. I'm just curious. :D I promise I'm not tallying answers to report to the government, either. I didn't mean for it to sound like the census so many were complaining about earlier this year. It's just a list of things I find myself thinking of frequently.

 

Family Size (more, fewer, or about the same # of kids?)

Fewer kids - they had 4, we have 3

 

Size of your home?

Smaller - they lived in a large farmhouse

 

Number of moves in your lifetime compared to them?

Many more-they moved once, 1 mile away

 

Do you have as much of a social support network as they did?

No - they lived near a large, extended family & people they'd know all their life.

 

How do you think your nutrition compares to theirs? What about your overall health?

They ate fresh food off their farm and did a lot of physical work. They were much healthier.

 

Educational Levels?

Dh & I have master's degrees. Grandparents had high school ed. Yet, grandparents were much better educated.

 

Denise

[gardenmom5]

How do you compare in the categories below? It's ok if your answer is based on hunches, rather than hard facts. I'm just curious. :D I promise I'm not tallying answers to report to the government, either. I didn't mean for it to sound like the census so many were complaining about earlier this year. It's just a list of things I find myself thinking of frequently.

 

Family Size (more, fewer, or about the same # of kids?) grandparents 1/2 me 5

 

Size of your home? bigger

 

Number of moves in your lifetime compared to them? more - though we dont' see that many (my mother saw many more movies) (lol. I thought it said MovIES. lol.) I'm definitely behind.

 

Do you have as much of a social support network as they did? grandparents - extended family, me - most family members are deceased

 

How do you think your nutrition compares to theirs? mgp (she was an avid gardener) - maybe the same, pgp - better

 

What about your overall health? definitely better

 

Educational Levels? me- higher

Edited October 4, 2011 by gardenmom5

[Joker]

Family Size (more, fewer, or about the same # of kids?)

paternal gps = 1 child

maternal gps = 2 children (which is what I have)

 

Size of your home?

Mine is much smaller than both sets of my grandparents. They built theirs themselves.

 

Number of moves in your lifetime compared to them?

I've moved TONS more than either set of grandparents (and my own parents).

 

Do you have as much of a social support network as they did?

No.

 

How do you think your nutrition compares to theirs? What about your overall health?

Not quite as healthy, but a lot of the food I make has been passed down. They also were much busier with outdoor activities than I have been.

Educational Levels?

Only my dad's mother went to college (not even my parents went) and she received her Masters. I'm in college now.

 

 

Answers in blue.

[IsabelC]

Family Size (more, fewer, or about the same # of kids?)

Both my sets of grandparents had three children, same as me (although one set lost a child so they would have had four if all had lived). However, some of their siblings had large families. I know that my mother had 77 first cousins, while I only have 11!

 

Size of your home?

Our current home is bigger, but previous places we've lived have been much smaller.

 

Number of moves in your lifetime compared to them?

I have moved a lot more than any of my grandparents. And traveled a lot more (being sent here there and everywhere during WWII dampens the travel bug).

 

Do you have as much of a social support network as they did?

Hard to say. Probably less support would be my guess. I think this is partly because family/parenting styles are so fragmented these days, it's harder to get a tribe around you who support what you're doing.

 

How do you think your nutrition compares to theirs? What about your overall health?

My Australian grandparents were very healthy, probably because they lived on simple home cooked food, of which they grew a lot themselves, and their lifestyle was one of plain hard work. Much less hurry and less stress (except during the war). However I have benefited from modern medical care on more than one occasion. My German grandparents did not have optimal health because of what the situation in Germany was like for much of their lives (lack of food and medical care, plus social situation).

 

Educational Levels?

None of my grandparents had a degree. At least one of my grandmothers didn't even finish the level of schooling that was recommended then.

Edited October 4, 2011 by Hotdrink

[Ginevra]

How do you compare in the categories below? It's ok if your answer is based on hunches, rather than hard facts. I'm just curious. :D I promise I'm not tallying answers to report to the government, either. I didn't mean for it to sound like the census so many were complaining about earlier this year. It's just a list of things I find myself thinking of frequently.

 

Family Size (more, fewer, or about the same # of kids?) Same as my maternal grands, but she had two who died at birth, while I had one who died at birth. Same as paternal grands.

 

Size of your home? Substantially larger than either grandparents or parents.

 

Number of moves in your lifetime compared to them? Probably about the same. I've only moved 3 times since leaving the nest; that could possibly be once more than them, but they wouldn't have lived independently before marriage.

 

Do you have as much of a social support network as they did? Hard to guess on this. Both gpts were involved in their churches and neighborhoods and I have roughly the same amount of that.

 

How do you think your nutrition compares to theirs? What about your overall health? My nutrition and health probably superior. One set of gpts smoked, while I never have. Both gpts did grow vegetable gardens, but so do I.

 

Educational Levels?

I do not think any gpts went to college; I am in college now. They did have good life-long career jobs, though (the men). None of the women ever worked as far as I know. My maternal grandma never drove a car.

[thescrappyhomeschooler]

Family Size (more, fewer, or about the same # of kids?) Paternal grandparents had 8 kids who lived past infancy, and more who died as infants (Irish Catholic). Maternal grandparents had 4 kids. We have 2.

Size of your home? Much bigger than maternal grandparents, by about 1200 sq. ft. A little bigger than paternal grandparents.

 

Number of moves in your lifetime compared to them? Not sure. Paternal grandparents came over to the USA from Ireland when they were in their 20s and already had kids. Maternal grandparents didn't move much.

 

Do you have as much of a social support network as they did? Don't really know. I think I have more, actually.

 

How do you think your nutrition compares to theirs? What about your overall health? I strive to eat healthy organic foods, and they did not. I think my overall health is better. Maternal grandmother died of cancer at age 65. Maternal grandfather had a stroke in his 30s and died of emphysema/pneumonia at 88. Paternal grandfather was an alcoholic and died of a heart attack when I was 2. I'm not sure of his age. Paternal grandmother died in her 80s, but not sure of what.

 

Educational Levels? Most of my siblings and I have some kind of graduate degree or bachelor's degree. None of my grandparents went to college. But all of them were intelligent and could do many things and got along on their wits. My paternal grandfather was involved in the IRA and did some things he wasn't really proud of before he came here, according to the family legends.

[Dobela]

Family Size (more, fewer, or about the same # of kids?) I have 2, both sides of my family had 3. However, my great grandparents had 9,8,6,7.

 

Size of your home? Larger.

 

Number of moves in your lifetime compared to them? Depends. If you count their youth, all moved 5 or 6 times before marriage and then 4 times after. Both owned farms though for over 40 years of their marraiges and stayed there.

 

Do you have as much of a social support network as they did? No. Still don't. Too many move in and out of our community now. My grandmother has friends she has known for 80 years.

 

How do you think your nutrition compares to theirs? What about your overall health?

 

Educational Levels? My grandfathers: one went to 2nd grade, the other to 9th. One grandmother went to 7th, the other to 9th. I have an MEd

[nono]

OK, so you do realize that for me, my grandparents, all 4 of them, were born before the turn of the century? Not this one, the LAST one!

 

Before cars were in mass production. Not the animated movie, the actual thing: :auto:.

 

I'm so :lol: at my perspective v. most other who will answer that I can't even get to answering the questions! I need a rocking chair smiley!

 

 

This message was not brought to you by Ambien, though that might explain a lot. ;)

[Laura Corin]

Family Size (more, fewer, or about the same # of kids?) same; they had more children (4)

 

Size of your home? same; theirs was larger, but at a time when house prices were generally more affordable

 

Number of moves in your lifetime compared to them? about the same - they were colonial civil servants in Africa; we have moved more.

 

Do you have as much of a social support network as they did? Not sure; they probably had more, but not by much

 

How do you think your nutrition compares to theirs? What about your overall health? Not sure about nutrition - Grandfather died early, grandmother lived long; Good diet - grandmother died at a good age, grandfather lived to his mid-nineties. Both sets lived through rationing in WWII when, it is said, British nutrition was excellent, because it concentrated on basic good food. Both sets walked a fair bit without thinking about it. We eat pretty well and exercise.

 

Educational Levels? grandfather was a land surveyor - trade school rather than university, I think. I don't know about grandmother. Grandfather rose to be a headmaster but hadn't gone to university. I don't know about grandmother. Both husband and I have Masters.

 

My grandparents were mostly born around 1900 - 1910; they are all long gone.

 

Laura

Edited October 4, 2011 by Laura Corin