How to Raise Parents From Across the Country
How to Raise Parents From Across the Country

How to Raise Parents From Across the Country

Hello, my faithful readers! I know it’s been a while (again!) since I have written. I have no excuse, except that I know most of you are battling with ridiculously cold temperatures. If you are anything like me, winter is not a great time for you. I hate being cold and I hate not having as much light. We had a possibility of snow last week, but nothing came to fruition. It was gray and rainy outside, so that made the house seem dark and dreary.

So, since winter is tough on a lot of us, I thought I would bring a little levity to the blog today. Today, I have to poke a little fun at my parents, since they have been under a sheet of ice. I’ve talked a little about them in my blog, but not too much. That will change with time. Today, though, I have to tell you a little bit about them.

Many of you know that my mother was in a pretty serious car accident the week before Thanksgiving. She is tough, and in very good health overall, so this only slowed her down for about a month. She was back home before Christmas, and she’s recovering nicely.

When the accident happened, Abby and I changed our Thanksgiving plans and went home to take care of Dad. Dad has Parkinson’s, so he is prone to falling. On top of that his vision isn’t great, and where you or I see one of something, he sees two. This is especially dangerous when he’s trying to sit down. So, while he manages pretty well around the house, he can’t drive, and I know he was worried sick about Mom, so it was best that we go and help keep him company.

Ever since Covid first came into the lives of everyone in the nation in 2020, we have had a family Zoom meeting on Sunday nights, since we are all spread out around the Southeast. It helped us all stay connected during a very tough time. It also became something that we all began to look forward to, Dad especially, so we have carried this on to date. Zoom has also come in handy when trying to explain how to use something. For instance, last week I had to help Mom figure out how to use a bottle holder that clips on to a walker to make it easier for Dad to carry his water when he’s using the walker. She swore it was too small to hold a water bottle, I swore it would expand by pulling the bottom out a bit. I was right, of course.

Last night, we were on Zoom and they got to talking about being on a stepladder! Steve and I nearly lost our minds! During the ice last week, we had to tell them they couldn’t even step outside the house, and now we have to tell them that they can’t be climbing on ladders, stepstools, or stepladders! Steve threatened to chain all the ladders up with a bike chain so that if anyone is trying to use one, they will have to get approval first in order to be given the combination.

As if that alone wasn’t enough, Dad went ahead to tell me that Mom had driven to the church the other night. This was AFTER the priest had sent a message that they were both to STAY HOME!  This is why I have to track them on Life360. They might get loose and who knows what they will get up to then!

Sometimes, I think they listen less than Abby does. Short of wrapping them in bubble wrap, I don’t know what else we can do. Does anyone have a leash?

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