World War II grandmas put teens’ pandemic in perspective
Esabella George and her grand-mère on a visit to Europe in 2019. Photo courtesy of the George family
Micah Worner with her “Omi” at Micah’s graduation from American Martyrs School in 2016. Photo courtesy of the Worner family
by Esabella George and Micah Worner
We are Generation Z, a group known for being anxious, impatient and socially awkward. Blame it on Instagram, Snapchat and TikTok. We’re a tech savvy generation, demanding instant access to information and immediate gratification.
It’s no wonder some of us haven’t dealt well with COVID-19 restrictions. We whine about on-line learning, social distancing, masks and missing prom and graduation.
But none of our inconveniences compare to the sacrifices and hardship our European grandmothers faced during World War II.
Grand-mère – Esabella’s grandmother
My grand-mère was born in a small village in Champagne, France, shortly after the German occupation. Marguerite Culver was the ninth of 12 children living on a large family farm.
Even though her birth could have been a burden to a struggling family of 10, her parents clung to her as a symbol of hope and recovery.
Because she was born at the end of 1945, she did not experience WWII, when Nazi soldiers took over the farm and restricted the family to a small section of the house, and took the best livestock and eggs from their farm.
“Instead of sharing eight eggs, my family of nine was forced to survive on three eggs,” she said.
Fortunately, like her older siblings, she was able to attend school. She also had enough hand-me down clothes to look presentable, and if she wanted her own clothes, she would make them.
“I remember seeing my mother hoard the food. She would stock up on resources in fear of one day not having enough,” grand-mère said. “This continued well into the 1960s.”
She observed the thriftiness and frugality of her family, especially her mother and the families in the village.
On her ninth birthday, her brother bought her a gift: a doll collection she had longed for after seeing it in a store window.
Grand-mère never forgot what her family had gone through and how they supported each other during this difficult time.
Omi – Micah’s grandmother
My Omi, grandmother in German, was born in 1939 in Themar, Germany. Rosemarie Worner was five years old when her father was drafted, leaving her and her mother to run the family restaurant.
The restaurant included a ballroom and conference rooms, which the Nazis took over for their meetings.
Her grandparents lived with them as well.
Her family was relatively well-off at the beginning of the war, but then food rations began.
“We were given coupons and had to wait in line for milk, bread and vegetables,” she said.
Omi said foreign guest workers who lived nearby would steal chickens from the backyard; they even stole mattresses.
Even though her city was spared from bombing campaigns, they sought shelter when they heard sirens.
“All the children, adults and old people were packed together in cellars,” she said. “We would be there until the planes passed over the city.”
After the war, Themar was under Russian control. She was forced to learn a new language, because half of her elementary school courses were taught in Russian.
Her father had been taken as a prisoner of war in the West, so she and her mother fled on foot over the border to reunite with him. They left everything behind to start a new life.
She says life under COVID-restrictions is not that bad.
“You get food, you get everything,” she said. “During the war there were no trains or buses.”
To this day, she hates to eat soup because she ate it so often growing up. She berates me when I waste food or buy things I don’t need.
Omi taught me how to be a savvy shopper, and encouraged me to look for deals during sales.
After speaking to our grandmothers, we realized how easy we’ve had it during the pandemic. Sure there are lines at the supermarket, and we had to do remote learning and wear masks, but we were safe and secure in our homes.
Our generation has faced a global pandemic and an uncertain future, but a quarantine and on-line learning does not compare to the hardships our grandmothers endured.
When our grandchildren ask us what life was like during COVID-19, we’ll tell them it wasn’t nearly as bad as what our grandmothers went through during and after World War II. ER