Pia May interviews her 78 – year – old grandmother

P.: Where did you spend your childhood and which are your memories of that time?

G.: I lived with my parents in Northern Germany. It was very nice at home. We had a river behind our house in which we swam a lot.

P.: Would you describe an average day when you were at my age.

G.: We children had to help a lot at home and on the fields: collecting potatoes, milk the cows or bundle the corn. But we also played a lot: rounders, dodgeball, tennis and we learnt how to play the piano.

P.: If you compare your and my leisure time activities, what would you say?

G.: Our lives were quiet whereas life today has become ever so hectic.

P.: Describe your school life.

G.: In my time teachers were much stricter. Today, I suppose, they are sometimes too lax. I don’t know which way is the better one though.

P.: How were you educated?

G.: In former times education was quite severe, in general. As to my family, however, we lived in a more liberal way. Today children are educated in a free way, too. My parents did not expect me to follow them blindly, and so I enjoyed my personal freedom.

P.: What about gender roles?

G.: At school, I cannot remember any differences between the sexes. In society, men had a greater authority. I was even allowed to bring a male friend home.

Especially shortly after the War, religious denominations - being a Catholic or a Protestant –

played an important role. There were even separate school which now is the exception.

P.: Were people in your youth more socially inclined or more helpful?

G.: No, I don’t think so.

P.: Did or does your family mean a lot to you?

G.: Yes, this is the case. I had a very good relationship with my parents.

P.: How important were material things for you?

G.: Social aspects, values and good manners have always been more important to me than material things.