Mole and Hedgehog meet the Old Folks

Last weekend, we took Mole and Hedgehog to meet some ‘ancient’ family (consisting of 3 great, great Aunts, and a great great Uncle), some of whom we had never met before. It was an emotional weekend for many reasons, going back over events and photographs from 80 years ago, with lots of hugs, tears, and gushings over Mole and Hedgehog.

We took photos of the 4 generations that were together in the room, with Mole and Hedgehog sitting at the front, usually chasing a piece of food, pointing out the window at a dog, or bathing in cuddles from a new found Aunt.

One thing struck me throughout the weekend, which was nothing new, but seemed more poignant because of the span of generations coming together after years of being apart… little people always steel the lime light. All eyes were on them from the moment we stepped through the door. Maybe it’s because they remind us of our own childhoods, or the fact that life is coming full circle, and going forward. Whatever it is, I couldn’t help but feel immensely proud of them, just for charming the socks off everyone in the room with their innocence.

It also got me thinking about the importance of family, how easily they can become fragmented, and how lovely things are when everyone is included, the very young and the very old, and everyone in between. In this country especially, it often seems like there is a particular age range that the country caters for, marginalising anyone outside of that range. Old people are kept in care homes or live alone, while children are kept in schools or playgrounds, put to bed early and kept away from the adult world so they don’t get in the way.

When we were all sitting around having a meal together, the conversations spanned everything from Brexit and Donald Trump, to the Second World War, computers, travelling, riding trikes and falling into boats in the 1940’s. Everyone had something to contribute, and even Mole and Hedgehog, with their limited vocab, were exploring the restaurant in their carefree way and being adored by the elders. I listened to stories about jobs they did in the 1950’s, about visits to India in 1960 versus 2010 and how it had changed, and about ancestors going further back into County Cork, Ireland, from the Victorian age.

How much more connected and happier would we be, if we included everyone in our everyday lives? The old folks would be energised and made young again by the children, and the children in turn would gain something special from that contact with the older generation. At a time when things feel increasingly divided and alienated in the wider world, it is very healing to come together across generations who you might think are not relevant to each other, and realise that in fact, times change, but people are really not that different.

Mole and Hedgehog loved it all, greeting people with awe and then toddling off to find the nearest toy, ornament, paint brush, door spring, or anything else that they could possibly play with. While it’s likely that these people won’t be around when Mole and Hedgehog get older, at least if we keep up with seeing them, it might form some early memories that will stick with them, and they’ll have a brief glimpse of the older generation before they go.

The journey back in the car was quiet, drugged up on wafers, pub lunches and fruit shoots. To our relief the lack of naps didn’t spell meltdown as we feared, instead they crashed in the car after their star debut, and went to bed directly after that.

It’s hard being a little person.