Our grandparents are sources of wisdom. There are many things that they knew that we have already forgotten. Which things are we talking about? You’ll find 17 examples of them in this article.
Good Handwriting
The National Handwriting Association says that “without fast and legible handwriting, students may miss out on learning opportunities and under-achieve academically.” Yes, there was a lot of emphasis on good handwriting when our grandparents were children. Although we are taught to write neatly in school, we soon lose the good habit when we begin working.
Sew
Many of us were taught to sew in school or were taught some of the sewing basics by our parents. But with fast fashion making clothing so cheap, we would opt to throw something out and buy it new rather than sit sewing buttons on. Because of this, the majority of us have forgotten how to sew.
Memorize Contact Numbers
Back in the day, our grandparents had to memorize important phone numbers. And it wasn’t so long ago that we had to do this, either. But since the existence of mobile phones and contact lists that save our important contacts, we have lost the skill of committing contact numbers to memory.
Cooking at Home
Statistics from US Foods show that “on average, Americans are deciding to order takeout or delivery 4.5 times a month, compared to eating at a restaurant an average of 3 times a month.” Instead of making food as our grandparents would have, many of us are settling for takeout. We are losing the ability to make nutritious meals.
Mental Math
When we are at the grocery store, we see numbers everywhere. We often use a calculator to work out which offers will give us the better deal. Our grandparents did not have a calculator to help them work out supermarket deals. Their mental math skills were excellent, and ours are failing.
Knit
A 2020 study shows that “around 45 million Americans know how to knit or crochet, and one-third of them buy supplies at least once per month,” says Forbes. These numbers have drastically declined since our grandparents’ days, when pretty much every woman knew how to knit and did so regularly.
Consideration
Our grandparents were very considerate. Before throwing away an item of clothing, they would think about who could need it and who they would pass it down to. Nowadays, we often forget to be considerate and do not stop and think before throwing our things away.
Cooking From Scratch
Our grandparents were able to make delicious meals from scratch, preparing their own homemade tomato sauces and making their own bread for meals. Although there are plenty of recipes on the internet, most of us choose to buy as many readymade foods as we can. We are not keen on cooking everything from scratch.
Holding a Conversation
Back in the days of our grandparents, there was no such thing as a cell phone, and people used to really talk without getting distracted by their mobile devices. People would be able to comfortably hold conversations without feeling awkward and reaching for a distraction.
Attention Span
The attention span of people nowadays is a lot shorter than it was in the days of our grandparents. The wording on billboards is short and snappy because if it were longer, we simply wouldn’t stop to look at them. Videos get straight to the point; otherwise, we skip them.
Comprehension
Our grandparents had to read a lot to learn. Nowadays, there are countless videos and audiobooks that facilitate learning. Because of this, many people in our modern world are forgetting the basic comprehension skills that they learned in school and find reading large portions of text challenging.
Spelling
Our grandparents were good at spelling because they had to be. There was no autocorrect that would pick up on their spelling mistakes and make their writing look better. Good spelling is still taught in schools today, but many of us don’t remember spelling rules because we know they will be autocorrected by our electronic devices.
Look After Things
Our grandparents were not raised in the throwaway society that we’re so familiar with today. Because of this, they would really look after their things and made sure that they would last. They did try to instill these values in us, but many of us have become wasteful.
Entertain Themselves
Older people grew up in a generation that did not have thousands of movies on hand to watch on a Saturday evening; they knew how to entertain themselves with the things they had in the house. We’re taught to be creative when we are children, but society makes us lazy when it comes to entertainment.
Musical Instruments
“In 2020, it is estimated that 37% of U.S. adults played a musical instrument at least once a week,” says Gitnux. Many older people would play musical instruments in the evenings before technology took over. But this is becoming less and less common.
Home Remedies
Before over-the-counter medicines became popular and affordable, people used to use a variety of natural home remedies to cure ailments. Our grandparents knew exactly what to do when something was wrong. They often gave us the same natural remedies to take when we were little, but we’ve forgotten them now.
To Make Do
Many of our grandparents grew up in times of economic hardship. As a result, they knew how to do without and to make their assets stretch. Nowadays, we find it impossible to go without a good salary, and getting into debt is all too common. We are not as resourceful as our grandparents were.
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