Young and Old Alike

My mom lived with me and my family for two years before she passed away. She was not only confined to a wheelchair, she also had dementia. Even though I loved my mom dearly, it wasn’t easy taking care of her.

I’ve been thinking about this for a while now, and I recognized that there are quite a few similarities between the elderly and toddlers. When I made this list I was thinking only of my mom and her last years here with me, and what I witnessed day in and day out. This is meant to be funny, and if Mom were alive today, she would literally laugh her ass off at this. Literally.

Okay, here we go….

• They never know what day it is.
• You have to cut their food up into bite-sized pieces.
• They stand and or sit way too close to the T.V.
• Both yell from the bathroom, “I can’t get my pants up!”
• They fall a lot.
• You have to make every meal for them.
• The dresses little girls wear now remind me of the Moo-Moo’s my Mom used to wear. (or is it Muu Muu’s? Hell if I know. I just pray I will never wear one.)
• They get upset when you get annoyed when they have an accident in the bathtub (yet again).
• They like to show off their boo-boos to their friends, over and over.
• They forget what they were going to say.
• They have no filter at all.
• When either one is quiet for too long, it could mean trouble. The toddler has probably confused the contents of his diaper with Play-Doh. The elder is trying to rearrange their room by themselves.
  *Wiping dirty faces.
• Reminding them what people’s names are when they see them. (Then they still don’t remember them.)
• You have to repeat yourself over and over because they either can’t hear you or they’ve tuned you out.
• You have to explain to them why taking a bath is important and must be done everyday.
• Naps. Thank God. (Enough said.)
• They do not have an inside voice!
• Sometimes they have problems getting all their food in their mouth.
• Able to fall asleep in any position at any moment.
• Sometimes when telling a story, they make no sense at all. All you can do is look at them and say, “What are you talking about?”

Thanks to my two kids and my mom for this material and all the great memories.

Ellen

Ellen Fischkelta is a SAHM of two, living in Palm Bay, Florida. Her family and friends know when sharing something, it may just end up on her blog, Bad Word Mama.