When I was ten years old, I visited my grandmother for her birthday. Curious about her age, I asked her, “Achchiamma, how old are you?” She smiled and said she was seventy-seven. At that moment, the idea of being seventy-seven was beyond my understanding. To my ten-year-old mind, it felt like an unimaginably distant number. So, I asked her, “What was it like being my age?”
She chuckled softly and said, “It wasn’t so different. I loved being the wild one that ran around, was mischievous, and dreamed big dreams. I thought I’d be young forever.”
I couldn’t believe it-my calm, wise grandma once was like me, a kid with all energy and mischief. She had seen the disbelief in my expression and continued, “You know, getting older doesn’t mean you lose that part of you. It is anything but dull. We all start just like you: full of life and wonder. Then we age, just like the trees, a bit stronger, deeper into the ground. But inside, we never lose that little kid we once were. One day, you will sit on a porch just like mine and tell stories to somebody just like you”.
Her words stuck with me, and each year, when we celebrate the International Day of Older Persons and Children on October 1st, I think back to that conversation. It’s a day in memory and appreciation of the innocence of childhood and the wisdom of old age. What really struck a chord that day, even in my then ten-year-old mind, was how similar children and older persons actually are. Despite separating years, they do indeed share certain needs: respect, protection, and inclusion. Both are vulnerable in different ways, but of equal importance to the community. 
The United Nations initiated International Children’s Day to protect rights and promote the welfare of children worldwide, while International Day of Older Persons was established to increase awareness about problems surrounding the elderly and as a token of appreciation for their contributions to society. These two days, commemorated together, remind us that children and older persons are part of the fabric of our society.
With the celebrations, it is the duty of every responsible citizen to stop and acknowledge the necessity, for each of us, to take care of such groups and help develop a country in which every child is safe and every old person is honored. This can be accomplished through bringing together these two groups by means of the stories, the teachings and the heritage of their elders after whom they can build a better tomorrow.
After all every body goes through the circle of life as a child then eventually being old and wise. But on the other hand one hopes that the harshness of life would take away the innocence of childhood from anyone. So let’s celebrate October 1st by keeping in mind that the journey of life, from childhood to old age, is one we all share.
Written By: –
Rtr. Mindu Hapangama
(Junior Blog Team Member 2024-25)
Edited By: –
Rtr. Sawandi Thisarani
(Junior Blog Team Member 2024-25)
