All people are born, grow, grow old… And as much as we don’t want to, our parents are also moving into retirement and old age. And that’s the right thing to do? To live and look after the old in the same house with the children, or to arrange for the parents to grow old in a quiet place and in a similar society? And here opinions differ, let’s look at this topic with life examples.
A friend of mine has always lived with her grandmother and mother. My dad left them when Monica was five years old. I used to visit them often and was an unwitting spectator of my mother and grandmother’s scandals, but I was young then and didn’t pay much attention to it. We grew up and left the family nest in favor of a personal life. Monica and I managed to maintain our friendship and now we have a good family connection. When we meet, my friend often complains about her in-laws, her grandmother is no longer able to take care of herself and their relationship has become awful. When her granddaughter suggests that she move to a nursing home, she is offended, and her mother tells her daughter to chase those thoughts away, and not to suggest such a thing to her mother when her turn comes.
Our neighbors, on the other hand, are different. The grandmother, while still of sound mind and able to move around on her own, asked the children to find her a place in a proper institution. She said that she did not want to be a burden to anyone, young people should not live with the elderly, and that she had saved up money for her own living in extreme old age. The children, of course, did not really want to comply with the pensioner’s request, their conscience tormented them, and what would people say, but the old woman was resolute.
And indeed, if there is a possibility, why cause inconvenience to all family members and endure the scandals? Parents should not go away resentful of their children. And children don’t have to torment themselves for the rest of their lives, because they have said too much to their own family members out of spite, and they will never have a chance to ask for forgiveness again. These facilities are designed specifically to allow older people to outlive their years in a comfortable atmosphere for them and with people of their category. There are special conditions, and the children do not see the daily anguish of their parents and they do not have to give up their work, and the grandchildren are deprived of stress. This way, all the participants live more peacefully. You can visit relatives whenever you want, and there is virtually no time limit for staying together.
This is my personal opinion. And how do you feel about this situation and which option is more acceptable to you?
