In 2008 I had my son my first child. In 2010 my second child my daughter was born. In 1969 I was born. In 1940 my dad was born. In 1941 my mother was born. I’m at the point in my life where I am both helping my teenage kids and my elderly parents. My father is no longer able to drive and my son has just gotten his license. My mother has had a hip replacement and my daughter is trying out for the lacrosse team. My wife and I find that if we’re not helping the kids were helping my parents. My father has an advanced stage of Parkinson’s finds it hard to walk without a walker and has had many a fall starting about 2 years ago. My mother has had her hip replacement and now finds it hard to walk as well without a cane. My kids on the other hand find it hard pretty much to do anything that involves cooking cleaning getting up or doing homework. So we’re constantly hovering over them to make sure that they do at least their homework.
I heard the term squeeze generation somewhere recently and unfortunately I can’t get credit where credit is due but I totally feel a part of it. While I’m glad for the support that I get from my wife with both the kids and my Mom and Dad I still feel some days that it’s crazy town. She unfortunately lost both parents over a decade ago but there was a brief time where we were dealing with her mom who is in an assisted living.
Squid totally explains the situation. We’re squeezed between the kids and we’re squeezed between the parents. Any extra time is usually when the kids are in bed my parents have had a food delivery and the dishes are done for the evening. There’s that one brief hour. For television watching before you jump into bed to get up the next morning to get the kids going to get to work to get Dad to his doctor’s appointments to get Mom to hers to get food for them both kids and adults and parents. It leaves little to no time for anything else.
I’m not saying that I can’t stand it it’s just crazy. I treasure the time right now that I have with my parents because I know someday soon I won’t be able to go over and have dinner or sit in there living room and chat about whatever ailment they have today. I treasure the time that I have with my kids driving in the car going somewhere taking them to practice for school. Because I know in a year time my son is gone to college and my daughter is going to be out the door pretty soon after.
Just find it frustrating it wouldn’t give it up.
