My children and grandchildren have been my greatest students and my greatest teachers. No matter what may happen in the future, I know they will take the lessons and the skills they have learned from me, and impart them to others. Being a parent has made me a better human being, a more patient teacher and someone who cares about the future of the world. As a grandparent I look forward to teaching my grandchildren at my lake house all of the things my grandfather taught me -- everything from fishing, to throwing a ball, to how to treat the woods with respect. I look forward to helping my own children become better parents if they need advice. I still have much to do. Perhaps the most important thing to remember about the 'dash' is that it is exactly that -- a single line. No part of the line is more important or less important. The end part...

According to disengagement theory, there is a "mutual withdrawal of the elderly and our social system from each other occurs as a natural consequence of growing old," but I profoundly disagree (Smith & Moschis 1984). I still have much to learn from the world, and I hope that my loved ones still have much to learn from me.
References

Bjorklund, Barbara L. & Helen B. (2007). The journey of adulthood. Pearson.

Smith, Ruth B. & George P. Moschis. (1984). Consumer socialization of the elderly: An exploratory study. Advances in consumer research: Volume 11. Thomas C.

Kinnear. (ed). Provo, UT: Association for Consumer Research, 548-552.

Retrieved June 30, 2010 at http://www.acrwebsite.org/volumes/display.asp?id=6305