An issue we are fac­ing right now is the whole quag­mire and emo­tional roller coaster sur­round­ing aging par­ents.  For­tu­nately, my par­ents, who are 88 years old, are still in fairly good health and in their own home.  They need some care, but for the most part their health and men­tal capac­ity is still allow­ing them to be independent.

On the other hand, my husband’s par­ents are not doing as well.  I’ve watched his fam­ily try to accept the loss of his mother whose delight­ful mind and per­son­al­ity has suc­cumbed to Alzheimer’s and is now in a care facil­ity.  I’ve watched his dad try to adjust to being “home alone.”  I’ve watched the sib­lings try to adjust to their mom no longer being the heart of the fam­ily.  It has been a painful and rocky road.

The role rever­sal of par­ent and child is dif­fi­cult, emo­tion­ally charged and full of pot­holes and mis­steps.  Work­ing through the paper­work and under­stand­ing the gov­ern­ment pro­grams adds another layer of work and stress.

I watched my mother and dad mas­ter the role rever­sal with dig­nity and grace as they took care of my Grand­mother who lived to be 101. Sure there were bumps. Sure there was frus­tra­tion at times.  But what I saw was the love they always shared with my Grandma.   Some­times we don’t appre­ci­ate the gifts we’ve been given or the lessons taught by exam­ple until much later.

Mom and Dad this lit­tle post is a trib­ute to you.  Thank you!