It’s Time To Take The Keys From Dad

I wrote this almost six years ago. I think it’s held up well:

There is nothing quite so difficult as having to become the adult in the relationship with an aging parent. Sad as it is, there comes a point where you are going to have to take the keys away from them. There will come a time when they can no longer stay in their own home, and it will be up to you to make that decision. They have become not simply a danger to themselves, but to others as well.

It’s hard because not only will you have to be an adult yourself, but a part of you will feel you are betraying those who did so much for you. You will have to fundamentally change a relationship you have known all your life. You have spent your entire life looking up to them. You appreciate the sacrifices they have made for you and all the wonderful things they have done for you. You know you would not be the person you are, that society would be worse off for them not having existed, and yet you must tell them it is time for them to relinquish control. The house they built with their own hands is so in need of repair it is a safety hazard. The pipes are broken, their bills are not being paid, their house smells of urine, their refrigerator has food that is seriously out of date, and they are no longer able to hold a sensible conversation. Sad as it might be, it slowly dawns on you that you must relieve…