Tuesday, February 23, 2016

February

Well, it's been a tumultuous February.

My mom, who turned 87 earlier this month, has been showing signs of mild dementia for a year or so. They suddenly got much worse, and she also had several mild strokes. All of this required an extended stay at a hospital in order to try to bring her behavior back to some sort of equilibrium. With various medications, my brother was able to bring her back home (he's lives with my mom and dad and takes care of them). He'll need to hire help to stay overnight, to make sure she doesn't wander at night, but we're all hoping this will work, at least for a while. My brother is a wonderful caretaker, and I'm so grateful that he's with them, when I'm so far away.

At the same time, Emma is going through her first break-up. We had a weekend of alternating crying fits and a Friends marathon.  She had been with this guy for a year and a half, which is a long time for 15 year olds, so it has been kind of gut-wrenching for her. However, being only 15, I'm sure she'll recover fairly quickly :-)

My mom and Emma, 14 years ago.

7 comments:

  1. Binge watching Friends helps ease most pain. :o)

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  2. What a cute photo of your mom and Emma. Sorry they (and you) have been going through some tough times. It's difficult sometimes to be sandwiched between challenging generational situations. It sounds like your brother is a great trooper. Take care.

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  3. I love that photo of baby Emma with your mom -- so sweet! It's hard enough to have our parents in failing health, but to have your daughter in emotional pain at the same time must be excruciating. (A year and a half is a long time at any age!) Being the filling in the sandwich means you are being pressed in from both sides. Don't forget to take a little time for you, so you can be strong for others.

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  4. Sorry to hear about your mom, I hope her health improves. As for Emma, I'm confident she will move on successfully. It's a good thing she shares her feelings with you.

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  5. I'm sorry you are dealing with all this. What you describe (both these things happening at the same time) is certainly sandwich generation stuff.

    That's an adorable photo!

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  6. I'm so sorry to hear this about your mother, Cassi. I know how difficult this must be for you; you are very fortunate to have your brother there to be a caretaker, however. Still, I know you must worry. Sorry, too, to hear about Emma's break-up. I remember sharing those emotional days with my daughters when they were teenagers. You know this will pass, but still your heart aches for them at the time. Take care.

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  7. It looks like your mother has flowers in her hair. I love that, and the way she's looking at Emma, who was so, so cute! It sounds like this has been a really tough time for you and your mom and family; I'm glad you have a brother/caretaker you trust, but still- so sorry about it all. And poor Emma, that is tough. Thank goodness she has such a solid family to fall back on and into in times of emotional upheaval.

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