Think about the picture of aging that you had as a young child. Back then, even 16 or 30 felt like old age, and most of the examples of “old” people we saw were old, grumpy crones.
If we want to change the way we think about aging as a society, it’s going to require changing perceptions at every age, including young children.
That’s what Lindsey McDivitt is doing with her wonderful blog A is For Aging.
Tweaking Attitudes About Growing Older
Lindsey McDivitt is a writer and an advocate for intergenerational understanding. While she writes children’s books, she hopes to adjust how we all feel about getting older.
She does this by writing books that help adjust attitudes about aging and sharing other great picture books with accurate and positive images of aging on her blog.
By using picture books with positive attitudes about aging, we can show young ones that aging doesn’t have to be scary.
McDivitt hopes to show with the picture books she selects:
- A diverse group of older adults with tremendous knowledge, inner strength & creativity
- Skills & strengths created by years of experience
- Valuable friendships between generations
Debunking Aging Stereotypes
Changing our views on aging has to start with the youngest generations. We need to show great, positive role models for our youth to look up to.
To help change the negative stereotypes baked into our culture of aging, McDivitt reviews award winners, diverse titles, intergenerational favorites, and even biographies.
One of her recent reviews features Iris Apfel and the new picture book biography showcasing her vital life.
I also can’t wait to share Keeper of Wild Words with my own family. It showcases a grandmother teaching her granddaughter about the natural world and the “wild” words that need to be passed down through the generations.
The best part about all of the books that McDivitt and her guest authors share is the amazing, beautiful portrayals of aging and how we can all learn so much from each other.
If you want to share amazing stories with your own grandchildren, nieces, nephews, or just the wonderful young people in your life, you’ll want to check out A is for Aging.
It’s full of wonderful, magical stories we can all love!
