How does being a parent affect your teaching?

How does an aging parent that lives with a traditional family affect the whole family?

• How is the dynamic of a nuclear family changed when an aging parent lives with the family? How is it changed when the aging parent needs special care and attention from their ...show more

• Answer:

  It puts some stress on it, of course, but most folks buck up and do what needs to be done. The family bond and responsibility goes both ways in the family tree and, at least in my family, the examples of what to do and how to handle it were already there. The key is to get everyone involved as much as they want to (and need to) be and not try to take on all responsibility yourself. It will be pretty awkward at first and then always a little awkward as roles are defined and redefined that are very different from what everyone has been used to. Schedules need to be set up and changed. Responsibilities and 'chores' doled out. Compromises made... it is a lot like taking in an exchange student, or an unexpected birth, or a 'foster child'. I like the closeness and love my family. I like having them around me as often as I can. I would not wish it to be any other way. I think it enriches it and wish my house were big enough to fit my entire family and a large part of the world which, for technical reasons only, is not. As long as they don't drink the end of the milk without telling me. :)