Getting recognized, for their hard work, in raising their own grandchildren, from the Front Page Sections, translated…
The Taiwan Fund for Children & Families yesterday recognized twenty-five hardworking mothers, and of them, six were grandmothers, who took care of their grandchildren as if they were their own, and there was even, a “great grandmother” among the recipients of the awards too. the Taiwan Fund of Children and Family said, that with the economy getting worse, there’d been, an increase in high-risk families, and, of the winners of the awards this year, the eldest was a seventy-five year old grandmother, and, a lot of these elderly are taking care of their own grandchildren, while they’re being ill themselves, “the problem of getting sick and living in poverty” became the most pressing issue at hand right now.
because of whatever the reasons, the parents are absent, and the grandparents took on the parents’ responsibilities…
Of the awarded yesterday, the tale of the sixty-four year-old grandmother who’d fallen ill, and living in poverty, and still managed to care for her young grandchildren was the most moving. She and her husband had two daughters and a son, and because her husband wasn’t well, the household relied on her, setting up the stands at the night markets, but, seventeen years ago, she was diagnosed with cancer, lost her stomach, her weight dropped from almost 150 pounds down to 81.4 pounds, and, during the time when she was undergoing treatment for her cancer, she’d found, that her son became, addicted to drugs.
“Night Market Grandma”, Beauty Lin, in order to help her son de-tox, she’d called the police on him, after she’d sent her own son into prison, she’d started, carrying the responsibilities of raising up her own grandchildren. In order to make more money, she’d lifted her grandson to school early, then, rushed to the markets, to buy the foods items she was going to cook for the night time business, in the noon hours, she’d taken up the cleaning up of the public restrooms, then in the evenings, she’d gone to the night markets to sell the food items, until four in the morning, when she’s finally able to, go home.
not my photograph…
Keeping this work schedule, Lin only has three hours of sleep every day, but, she’d smiled and told, that her grandson who’s very close to her heart, was her motivation to keep going, he’d often massaged her without her having to ask him to, “My grandson would play coy with me, and, it’d given me, the strength, to keep on, working hard.”, she’d sworn that she will keep on living her life, and watch as her grandson mature into a grown man. Her son who’s currently serving time, wrote a letter, delivered by Foundation to his mother yesterday, it stated, how grateful he was, of his mother, not giving up on him, that he hoped, that he will have the chance, to hug her again, and tell her, “I love you”, as she’d read the letter, Lin started crying.
I want to, keep on, holding the hands of my great grandchildren, watch them get older”, the seventy-five year old, Atayal tribeswoman, Su, is a great grandmother who’s self-reliant, she’d started, carrying the responsibilities for bringing up her son, her grandchild, and her own great grandchild too. She’d collected the recycling materials, sold them, planted the vegetables, to make the measly pays, and even though she’d worked too hard, and became sore all over her body, she’d still not wanted to spend any money on getting herself treated by the doctors, all of this, is to help put her great grandson through school.
Su said, that from before, her son was too busy at work, without the time, to educate his own son, and so, the responsibilities for educating her grandchild landed on her; and, as her grandson got older and married, he’d gotten divorced from his wife, because of the differences in their personalities, and now, she’d shouldered up the responsibilities, of raising up her two great grandchildren too.
Su said, that she’s older now, and can no longer manage the duties like hauling the bamboos, along with other work that required a lot of physical abilities, and her primary source of income was the government assistance for the elderly, but, she’d started recycling materials at her tribe, and, she was able to earn a thousand or two extra dollars a month, which she’d spent, on buying her grandchildren their school supplies.
These are the stories of the amazing women, who’d shouldered up the responsibilities of raising up their children’s children, and their grandchildren’s children, and, their dedications and commitments are worth noting, but, this also, brings out something really awful, it shed light into the issues of the burdens that the elderly generations must carry, to raise their own children’s children.
Life, the Obstacle Course 