Gran

Edith McFee, 81, retired regional councillor.

Edith grew up, along with three sisters and a brother, in an area in Fife where she still lives now. Her mother was a housewife and her father was a gardener. Although her upbringing was strict to a degree she was still allowed a certain amount of freedom, but there were some rules that she was expected to obey.

“Depending on the time of year, I had to be in at a certain time of night — I was allowed to stay out later in the summer when it was lighter for longer. I would go to the cinema in my village with friends or else I went dancing at the Palais in Dundee, which meant taking the train or the ferry over the river Tay. I wasn’t allowed a boyfriend until I was 16, nor allowed to wear make-up till then either,” she says.

“The war started when I was 12 so there wasn’t really a great deal of fashion available in the shops and what there was I had to afford on my wages. I worked from the age of 14 to bring another wage into the house after my father was badly injured in the First World War but I do remember my teacher being upset that I could not stay on. I worked in an office at first and then went to Draffens, a department store in Dundee, where I was a milliner.

“My father wasn’t expected to survive and this did have an effect on home life. But he recovered slowly and started a gardening business.”

Specific historical landmarks that Edith remembers from her youth are the start of the Second World War and VE Day.

Attitudes to intimate relationships outside of marriage were still quite Victorian back then. “If a girl became pregnant out of wedlock, she would be kept pretty quiet and out of the public eye,” recalls Edith.

Does Edith have any concerns about today’s younger generation? “I do think that at times young people get a little too much freedom these days but I don’t worry about their future. I have faith in the younger generation and I think it’s a good thing that they are given more responsibility.

“I don’t feel there is a lot of difference between my teenage years, my daughter’s and my granddaughter’s — a stable home background and understanding parents are the important things, not what decade it is.”

Mum 

Tracey McFee, 47, dentist, teaching at Dundee Dental School and Springfield Medical Centre, Arbroath.

Tracey is the only child of Edith and her dad was a draughtsman. She feels her upbringing was firm but fair, with certain ground rules.

“I was always encouraged to have respect for others and I had to keep to the time I’d promised to come home. I didn’t stay out late until I went to university,” she explains.

“I had my first boyfriend when I was 13 but make-up was never an issue between me and Mum — even now I don’t wear it much and I have to borrow my daughter Suzie’s! 

“I very rarely broke rules as I was a bit of a goody two shoes.” 

As a teenager then, attitudes to boys and relationships were still very innocent. “If a girl who wasn’t married became pregnant back then, people would speak in hushed tones,” says Tracey. 

But the world of clothes was really starting to get exciting during Tracey’s teen years, following on from the fashion revolution of the ’60s. “I was lucky enough to be growing up in the ’70s so my wardrobe consisted of platforms, Oxford bags and hot pants. In the ’80s I had a suit with major shoulders,” she laughs.

And what was home life like for the teenage Tracey?

“Home life was nice and secure. Mother’s cooking wasn’t that great though! The main historical events I recall from my teen years and early adulthood are Churchill’s funeral, the moon landing, Elvis dying, John Lennon being shot, and the Tay Bridge opening.

“I spent my time playing lots of tennis, picking strawberries in the summer holidays, and playing on the haystacks by building them into tunnels. 

“I was the first in my family to go to university and my parents encouraged me a lot. I always studied hard and even now I’m still studying, having just completed my Certificate in Medical Education from Dundee University. I also have an MSc in Community Dentistry. Suzie says I was a ‘geek’ when I was young — but I was a happy geek!”

Does Tracey think that young people possibly get too much freedom these days?

“Some kids get a lot of freedom but mobile phones probably mean that they actually have less freedom than I had.

 “There was no-one to check up on me if I stayed out all day. I’d like to see kids — and adults — showing more respect to each other.

“Childhood is too short, and TV and the Internet mean there’s little innocence these days. Not many of my patients believe in the tooth fairy any more!

“I always worry about my children (Scott, 19, and Suzie, 17) but kids get lots of chances these days. They take their education for granted though and think of it as a right instead of a privilege. My mother didn’t get the chance to go on to further education. Today’s kids can change career if they don’t like their original one.

“Funnily enough I think Suzie is more like her gran than me personality-wise — more social than me. She’s done things that I would have been frightened to do. My mum speaks her mind and always stood up for her elective even if her party didn’t agree with her. Mum always fought for the people and I think Suzie and I have also inherited this trait from her, and will speak out if we see an injustice.”

Daughter

Suzie Sutherland, 17, about to start sixth year at school, and a Saturday girl at a hair and beauty salon.

Suzie feels that as the years have gone on she has been given a lot of freedom.

“But it took years to build up that trust,” she explains, “and even now Mum likes to know where I am and what I’m doing. When I go out partying I usually just stay at friends because Mum and her partner go to bed really early! I don’t usually go partying on a school night unless it’s a special occasion, but I do meet friends and I have to be in for about 10 or 11.

“No day or night out with friends is ever the same — but they’re usually too incriminating to discuss!”
Suzie feels fortunate to be growing up now when there’s such diversity and choice available fashion-wise.

“I really enjoy exploring different fashion styles and I like to be a wee bit unique,” she says.

How does Suzie feel about her education?

“I quite like school actually, but to be honest it’s probably just because I get to see my friends. I find studying quite hard, which annoys Mum because she’s a natural studier. I’m really not sure what I want to do when I’m older though. I quite enjoy art and fashion, so hopefully I’ll go into something in that area. I’d like to have a stable career before I settle down.”

Relationships are a lot more open these days and Suzie feels this is a good thing.

“There’s nothing stopping young relationships from becoming serious, but they probably won’t stay together forever,” she says. “People and situations change.

“As a young person today I don’t feel I get too much freedom, but I think it also has a lot to do with parenting and the relationship you have with your parents, and them with you.” Trust is a big part of that freedom just as it was 65, and 30, years ago.

And does Suzie have any fears about her generation’s future in a global context?

“I’m not really one to look far into the future and I like to take each day as it comes. I think the world is probably a better place in many ways and technology is a big part of that. But things like CCTV and mobiles also infringe on personal freedom and I do feel that technology is taking innocence away from children.

“The main historic event that marked my younger years was definitely 9/11, but also Busted splitting up, Princess Diana’s death and my gran being elected for the local government.”

And Suzie has the final word: “I don’t think there’s a great difference between our teenage years — I feel it’s more to do with our different personalities than the different generations.”

Suzie

Blouse £10; vest top £3; bangle £6, all New Look; necklace £12, M&S; heart pendant £1.50; bracelets £1, both Primark.

Tracey

Jeans £20, Next Petite; dress £40, Warehouse; vest top £3, New Look; necklace £2, Primark.

Edith

Cardigan £29.50, M&S; bracelet £8, Mood at Debenhams; scarf £1.50, Primark.

Photography by Upfront.
Hair and make-up by Linda Wilson.
Thanks to the Macdonald Rusacks Hotel, 
St Andrews. Call 0870 400 8128 or
www.rusacks-hotel.co.uk