Ella Minnow Pea

3 Pages 678 Words

A Change In Time
Culture gaps are inevitable within families, between parents and children, grandparents and children, even aunts and uncles. Every generation grows up with different values, different beliefs and a different outlook on what life should be like – that’s ‘normal’, as society and expectations on life change as time rolls by. The key to dealing with these cultural gaps is to understand and except one simple fact; Things change.
In my small, but rather complicated family, the problem arises with my rather stubborn, and set-in-her-ways grandmother. Esmay, or grandma, as she is better known, grew up in England, already she was bound to be ‘a proper lady’. She comes from a wealthy family, whose value in women was about that of the servants they owned. Esmay was taught to worship her man, and that a woman’s place was in the house, doing kitchen duties and laundry, and having everything perfect for when the man of the house returns home from a horrendously troubling day at the office.
Along came my mother…
Esmay never liked my mother, she called her a ‘wicked’ child, and told her that no man would ever want her. In Esmay’s eyes, my mother was the closest thing to the devil that walked this earth. She was outspoken, and wanted to do things for herself, rather than have a man to have to rely on, which was normal for those growing up in the 60’s. And, much to grandma’s surprise, my mother married, and had 3 children. But was later divorced, which delighted Esmay to bits, because her point was proven. In her eyes, mum had failed and that was entirely due to the fact that my mother was independent, and men don’t like that in women.

And then there was me…
It’s kind of hard to describe yourself, but if I have to put me into one simple sentence, I would have to say this; I am my mother. I grew up taking in everything my mother taught me; Stand-up for what you believe in. Don’t ev...