But, as all things in life, it changes. The children finish school and herebehit leave the “communal parental nest” to go off to college, work, or whatever, and the parents stay in their ever emptying house, which becomes more and more of a Smithsonian pavilion on family values as the younger siblings get older and go their ways as well. Suddenly mom and Dad are left to themselves in a large house, alone, with nothing but each other and a big screen TV to feed their intellect, which, ironically, they can't even watch at the same time (sorry for the stereotypical “family” routine but I'm just writing on what I know, feel free to inject your own family stats here).
So, having said that, what comes next is a mystery to me, but what seems to happen is the parents, in my experience, take on the child routine. Take my family for example. I went to visit my great aunt in a retirement home a while back, and my dad wanders off to look the floor over. He then turns back to where I am with a wheeled walker in hand, yelling “Hey, look Scott, these things have come a long way, this one even has BRAKES!!” I then innocently ask all unsuspecting “where did you get that from, dad?” and my ever so gracious father responds with “oh, it was just laying around in the lounge”....And lo and behold, turning the corner right behind him, an old gent looking about the age of eighty, his face withered and torn with time, is staggering, wheezing behind my father with an outstretched arm, his face in pure panic as 20 seconds ago he had discovered that while taking a well deserved rest on the la-z-boy, my father had mercilessly taken his only method of transportation!! I just had to shake my head.....Now this is something I easily could have seen myself doing at the age of about twelve, taking a wheeled walker. Not knowing it belonged to someone and just taking it I mean. Deliberately stealing anothers’ wheeled walker for the joy of it I wouldn’t have done ‘till about 15 (Just kidding)
Then there is my Mother. She came to visit me a few weeks ago. And, of course, while in Edmonton she had to go to West Edmonton mall (the world’s largest). From what I have said previous, I’m sure you can guess what the day was like. We would each go into a shop that interested us separately with plans made to meet each other outside the nearby shops in about ten minutes......ten minutes pass, and, the obedient lad that I am, proceed to exit the male clothing establishment to meet my mother at the said time. Hmmmm, 20 minutes....I wait.....Now, my mom can be a pretty hardcore shopper, and when she gets on her pastel binge you watch out! So, I wandered into the ladies apparel shop to take a look around for her, hmmm, nope not there. So, I then wait for yet another 20 minutes....finally, after almost an hour of waiting I venture out and roam the hallway, walking far from where we were supposed to meet. A while into my journey, I see her roaming through some items in a certain shop Miles away from where we were supposed to.....her reason? She forgot........She forgot......
Why this happens is beyond me. I know raising children takes more than a fair share of brainpower, imagination, physical labour (especially for the female....ouch!!), not to mention the emotional aspects such as love, devotion, honesty and such. this “reversing” is quite interesting. Is it perhaps they have nothing to test them, or have no social standard to live up to now? Is it that they spent their time doing things “right” and feel they have a divine right to throw caution to the wind and now do things as they damn well please? Or perhaps they are getting us back? I know some seniors think that in their old age they don’t have to wait in lines, and just proceed to cut through it, but surely they aren’t doing that at the not yet paid their dues age of 50......
A new, factual reason for
senility?