I saw a T-shirt online that read, “Raising my mom is so hard. She doesn't listen.” I felt that shirt in my soul. But I didn't click “Add to Cart.” My mother is 77.
I'm 49, putting me squarely in the sandwich generation: adults raising children while caring for aging parents. Nobody warned me that sometimes the sandwich feels like it's being squeezed in a panini press. Mama moved in with us in 2020 after a hurricane devastated her home in Lake Charles, Louisiana.
My husband suggested she move to Texas rather than rebuild. I wanted her somewhere safe. She had spent her life caring for me.
But I hadn't considered what she'd lose: her home, independence, community and even her driver's license, which she surrendered because she wasn't comfortable driving in Texas. Six years later, we're still figuring out how to live together. My daughter is Gen Alpha.
And sometimes, three opinions about who's in charge. Despite having a husband, daughter, career and mortgage, sometimes I feel like a child in my own home, especially when it comes to parenting. Let me be clear: My mama is a great mother.
She raised two children as a single mom, teaching us independence, responsibility and the importance of standing on our own two feet. Like any good chef, I've taken her recipe for parenting and added a dash of my own flavor. Mama grew up when children were expected to be seen and not heard.
Extract — continue reading at the source.
