Editor:

Normally I enjoy Lauren Bienvenue’s column, but after reading her last article (“Is aging about getting wise or stubborn?,” Feb. 25), I was a little surprised and disappointed. While I understand the pressure and stress that visiting family can put on someone, her attitude makes me want to ask her a question: How would she feel if her grandparents had read what she wrote about them?

Not to pick on Bienvenue. This seems to be the overwhelming attitude of our generation toward older people.

I have to say that at one point I shared this view. It was boring to visit the grandparents, and we never had anything to talk about. But at some point I realized that the reason the conversations were boring were because I waited for them to ask questions about me, and I was, a generally boring person. I assumed that because they were old, they didn’t do anything and that they had probably never done anything interesting in their lives.

As someone who has lost three grandparents in the last six months, I can say that I regret waiting so long to get to know my grandparents. They were some of the most interesting people I have met, and they had the most amazing stories and experiences. True, they did not have all the answers to life. But their experiences earned them something else, and it should not be denied them: our respect.

Barbara FrieEconomics senior