MORE ABOUT FEELINGS

    Sometimes the pressure of your situation makes you angry at everybody and everything in your life.  It isn’t fair to the children, who haven’t done anything yet feel the tension in the family.

     You may get angry at your parent for forcing you into this predicament.  You just want it to come to an end.  You want them to pass away and be done with it.  You’re not alone in these feelings.  It is normal to feel resentment when your whole life has been turned upside down.

     But there are benefits and lovely moments in caregiving too, since it’s not just all problems.  Count the precious years that your loved one has lived and imagine the changes that have taken place during their lifetime.  Imagine living through this period of rapid change, a witness to man learning how to fly, then watching the first walk on the moon.  It must be amazing, to say the least.  Think of the stories they have to tell.  At the very least you can hear all the important events in their lives, or hear stories about their parents’ lives.  You have a treasure of family history just waiting to be recorded for future generations.  So instead of counting your losses, explore the past and really hear your heritage.

     If there are children living at home, they learn to care for, respect, and get along with the elderly.  In our society respect for the elderly is slowly being lost.  Children who live with their grandparents are enriched by knowing how another generation lived.

     There is a special bond that forms between and elderly person and a little child.  They have a lot in common; even with the age difference, they are compatible.  A child likes to take care of an older person, much like play-mothering.  Little children are so free with their love.  How wonderful to teach a child in the early years to care for and get along with the elderly.  It makes it so much easier in the future, when thy have the task of caring for their aging parents.  A good lesson for the young---we could use the same lessons.

     Emotions are wonderful!  Show your emotions to your loved ones.  Don’t hold those emotions  in until it is too late---tell them how much you love them today  Know that you have done everything you possibly could to make their last years with you comfortable. You will be glad you did.