Coo Not

One of the worst ways to treat the elderly is to coo at them. Cooing is a form of communication that sees the doer leaning to one side, smiling at the older person as though a baby and cooing or purring at them. It is not kindly. It is insulting and demeaning.  I encountered this cooing first at the unlikely age of twenty-six when expecting my child I shopped for maternity wear at an exclusive shop in the city. A very young sales associate (as they call them today)  brought out a number of garments including one that looked like a long striped tee shirt. Very jaunty I thought. Just the thing for work. When I tried it on and stepped out to see the effect in the mirror, the young miss waiting on me, cooed, "You must have been sporty when you were young." That was my first coo and it hurt a whole lot. I considered myself young, still in my twenties. The clerk couldn't have been much less in age than I, therefore, I was able to recuperate from the blow. Now that I am in the of-an-age category,  if someone tips its head to one side and baby talks at me, I may not, in return,  be as tolerant or as courteous.  Even if one is assisting an elderly person, it is not necessary to treat them as though they are a "mewling, puking" infant. Older folk are simply antiques having that patina which occurs with all living creatures should they have the good fortune to live long enough. Old age doesn't mean you have lost your so-called marbles. All of the intelligence, wisdom and experience the elderly have should be treated with respect, not denigration. Elders are not all afflicted with dementia although some unfortunately are, but never, even if so, should elders be cooed at. Save the cooing for the pigeon cote. Please.