I don’t like to plan too much (I used to love it), so I’m not going to say that this is my penultimate chronicle, but it could be. Not because I don’t have much more to say on the subject, but because I believe I’ve shared small pieces of everything that just need to be pieced together and developed in each of your minds. So, I’m starting today what I think I’ll finish very soon. I wasn’t quite sure how to fit this chronicle in, but I felt it was necessary. I hope you like it.

Today, in the Caregiver Chronicles, I want to talk about “grandchildren.” Until now, I’ve told you about how I handle caring for my mother, and although I mention my children from time to time, I haven’t talked about them in depth. If it’s hard for me to deal with the responsibilities and care of my mother, imagine what it’s like for my children. No longer teenagers, they are fully aware of my mother’s condition, but at the same time, they are very aware of their own state, and that state is “let’s go party,” “I have to study,” “grandma is bothering me,” “I don’t want to be responsible.” This is where the dilemma starts. On one hand, I understand them because they’re young and need to live their lives, but on the other hand, I think grandparents are part of life and should be respected and cared for.

I have to say that, although it’s been a bit of a daily struggle, my children have been by my side throughout these years. Thanks to them, I’ve had the freedom to take short trips from time to time and disconnect. I don’t think they realize the importance of caring for an older person. They don’t realize everything they’re learning; they don’t see that, even though they think they’re wasting time, they’re actually building character and learning empathy and responsibility.

The mix of grandmother and grandchildren is sometimes funny because she thinks they are either her children, cousins, uncles (each day they’re someone different to her). My son loves to go along with it and pretends to be whoever she says he is. My daughter, although a bit colder, really does have a maternal sense and resists the closeness, but her conscience takes over, and whether she’s angry or not, she always does the right thing.

My mother helped me care for my children when they were little, and now they do the same. I’m so proud of the man and woman they have become, and I hope that when I’m an old lady, my grandchildren (if I have any) will care for me with the same love that my children care for me… We’ll have to wait and see…