Daddy's Girl

I don't care how old I am, I am still my Daddy's little girl.  His health has been failing lately and now he is in the hospital for tests, and it is hard for me to see him in pain.  He has always been healthy and active.  But in his 9th decade of life, each day is a trial.

How do I make sure he is taken care of?  My Mom, too.  It is hard to know how to care for aging parents.  They are used to being the adults - making decisions - living independently.  They resent someone else making their decisions and they are embarrassed to have to ask for help to do the most common tasks like putting gas in the car or balancing the checkbook.

My brother and I, and our families, are glad to help any way we can, but we want our parents to be able to retain their dignity.  At what point do we start making the decisions based on what we think is best for them?

When you are parenting a child it is challenging, but at least the child lives with you and is not used to controlling his own life.  "Parenting" a parent is even harder because they sometimes live in another town or even another state.

My family has begun to deal with this situation.  My prayer is that the Lord will give us wisdom and discernment and that we will make decisions that will be respectful of our parents and that will allow them to retain their dignity and their quality of life until the Lord calls them home.