The Greatest Generation

Last week, we had the priveledge of going to the Citadel/CofC basketball game. I can't remember the last time we have gone to a game. They are so much fun. I was immediately thrown back to the days of our high school games - the excitement and energy. Not that our games were close to being on par with this game, although our play was, at times, comparable to El Cid's. But I digress. We went to the game for Poppa. He was being honored at the game. He played basketball for The Citadel for four years while he was a cadet. When he returned to Charleston after WWII, he was coach of the College of Charleston basketball team. He currently holds the fourth best record as a coach at the College. Pretty impressive. He did not know they were going to do this, and it was so sweet when it happened. We were in the row in front of them, and as the announcer started, I heard Mom urging him, "Daddy, stand up. Stand up. This is about you." OMG! Emotions! Hello! I couldn't even turn around and look at him, there were so many tears streaming down my face. Oh, yeah, and this is in addition to the tearing up I did during the singing of the National Anthem. What is wrong with me? Ironically, during the singing, Poppa leaned down to Bryant and said that if Grandmother had been there, she would have been crying listening to those boys sing. So, I guess I come by it naturally. Poppa was able to talk to lots of his friends, whose numbers are sadly diminishing as the years go by. I was so proud as I watched him shake hands and greet people he has known for years. I am always fascinated by people of his generation. The things they went through, the hardships they endured, and the changes they've seen. These are the people who grew up during the depression, who fought during WWII, and sacrificed here at home so that our troops could have the equipment they needed. They went from having almost nothing to, through hard and contsant work, building a strong financial foundation for their families. I sometimes cringe at the thought of where we, as a society, have gone and what this older generation must think of it. I know when it comes to movies and shows with lots of swearing and violence in them, Poppa and Grandmother would just rather not see them. It must be shocking for them to see what is so widely accepted today as OK and not inappropriate. I often wonder if they are disappointed, not in us specifically, but in our generation generally. Is this really what they made all those sacrifices for?
In the end, I suppose there have always been those elements of society that have been morally deficient. There have always been people who get their jollies from shocking the general public. It just seems like now they are given so much more play time. The media rushes to cover the stories that are so apalling and disturbing that they make us wonder what is wrong with this world. There's that old saying that ignorance is bliss. Maybe lots of this stuff was going on back when our grandparents were younger, but it wasn't reported, so, to them, it didn't matter and, sort of, wasn't happening. Call me old fashioned, but I'm just wondering what was so wrong with that? Honestly, I don't think my child needs to be able to turn on the TV or open a magazine and see that Britney Spears doesn't wear undies when she goes out.

In the meantime, we'll just make sure that Reeves is surrounded by people who share our moral and ethical values. (Thank you friends and family for making that an easy task!) We'll be sure that he gets to spend as much time with his grandparents and great-grandparents as possible. And once he's old enough to go it on his own, we'll just have to sit back and know that we have instilled a strong sense of what is right and wrong and appropriate and inappropriate in him.