Thursday, May 23, 2002 * baby boomer bind If you're anywhere close to my age (birthdate 1945) then you'll recognize right off what I'm talking about here. It's what I call 'the baby boomer bind' and it exists mainly in my head and heart, but affects other areas as well. Many of us are taking care of aging parents either in our home or in other ways. This is a good thing. It's a normal process of life. They took care of us for a good bit of our lives and it's more than our duty or obligation, but our privilege to do the same. The bind comes in when you add the fact that you're doing it at the same time as you're trying to also help your own children who are just starting out in life and at times may need your help - whether this be emotionally, physically, or financially. And then you add grandchildren to this... and a shakey economy - and you begin to feel a little strain. It's OK to be the sturdy foundation in the middle of the road - may even feel a bit good that it's possible to be. But if and when the road should crack (say the economy takes a direct hit and jobs are lost) then it's not just you that falls through - but everyone else as well. This bothers me. I know that DH and I can survive no matter what happens. We've done it before. If we have to start over, we're a bit old for that - but we could manage. However, there's others to think about. Perhaps this is one of the normal processes of aging also - where you have to relinquish the supporting role and begin to lean a little yourself. Not a pleasant thought. I know it's really nothing new. Generations have shared quarters in the past and it can be a good thing. But in today's world, it's different (hate saying this - Socrates probably said the same damn thing). But things are changing so fast in technology these days that it seems to be widening the generation gap. Grandparents don't understand the computer based world that we live in and our kids and grandkids grow up taking it for granted that life always was and always will be this way. It just sometimes feels like we're walking gingerly on a waxpaper floor that could rip out at any minute - and I guess that the new Terrorist Attack Alert doesn't help. I refuse to worry about it - as long as I can write about it.... There! That said, I'm calling it a day. Rian |
Favorite quote for today: The louder he talked of his honor, the faster we counted our spoons. Ralph Waldo Emerson |
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Apppropriate Quote of the Day: "The young have aspirations that never come to pass, the old have reminiscences of what never happened." Saki (1870 - 1916) (Hector Hugh Munro) |
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