Hi, Everyone! Look at this fabulous intro that I found!
WYFP is our community's Saturday evening gathering to talk about our problems, empathize with one another, and share advice, pootie pictures, favorite adult beverages, and anything else that we think might help. Everyone and all sorts of troubles are welcome. May we find peace and healing here. Won't you please share the joy of WYFP by recommending?
Okay, it's the same old intro. I was just funnin' ya.
Join me for some plain old, garden variety griping, will ya?
So. Huh.
My mom's 90 and is rapidly losing her ability to function autonomously. I'm trying to be gentle about things. But I don't know things. Like, should I tell her when she forgets stuff? Or, at least, some stuff? Like a week or so ago, I went to pick her up to bring her over to our house for a while. On the way she says, "Well, I haven't been over this way in a long time. But I understand, you're a busy family." Only, thing is, she was there the day before. And a week prior, she had been over for a barbeque with the extended family. I guess that pointing out that she'd forgotten those things would be mainly for me, since I don't want to be seen as a crappy daughter for never having her over. But if I say nothing, am I reinforcing her feeling of abandonment?
Anyway, my line in the sand for her living in the apartment part of her retirement home, as opposed to the part with more extensive care, is her ability to manage her meds on her own. Now, that is beginning to slip. She just doesn't have as good a grasp on it. The one thing that drives me the crazy is take meds out of their original containers. I don't mind the little "pill-minder" thing she's got going, but when I find a label-less prescription bottle with "magnesium" written on it and then find 3 different kinds of pills in the bottle... Gaaaaahhh! No way to know what they really are, or how old. (((sigh)))
I have a sister who does nothing to help out. And, honestly, that's a big part of the whole FP. And, yes, I could nail her for it, but really? Do I want her opinion? Cuz, let me tell you, she'll have one. Or a dozen. It's easy to just do stuff myself and then ask forgiveness instead of permission. And then bitch about it passive-aggressively on line. ;-)
What else, my 17-year-old is at that point in life where his teen-aged brain can only hold so many instructions at a time. I end up chanting about follow-through and thoroughness , oh, just way too often.
The pack of neighborhood kids goes rogue and rides diagonally across our lawn. Or did until MrCJB strung a piece of plastic fencing across one available means of egress. Thankfully no one has gone over it head first, yet.
Anyway, it's mostly about Mom. This week I cleaned out her refrigerator and found stuff that probably lived when man first walked on the moon. Next week, it's her medicine cabinet.
Tomorrow I'm having the whole clan over for the midday meal. Salmon and lots of fresh things from the farmers' market. I hope she remembers it. I think I'll take pictures.
What's your f**kin' problem?