What’s a Thorny Issue that Grandparents Will Inevitably Face?

It was one of those weeks last month…both GrandGirls were sick at home with fevers. But there was an extra layer to the situation. Both parents were sick with a fever and a few other symptoms, too.

Life was instantly and infinitely more complex and challenging. And the needs were considerable.

The immediate question…can anyone help out??

The immediate conundrum…will anyone take the risk?

Me? I was out of town. But what would I have done?

I think my answer to this question depends on my circumstances. If I had an imminent travel plan, then the answer would be a hard ‘no.’ Trips involve many layers of planning and non-refundable elements, so inviting an exposure, then succumbing to the illness concurrent with the trip seems like a very bad idea.

However, it’s also understood that travel involves every variety of contact with germs. But that seems to be a reasonable and acceptable risk. Inviting illness directly into your life through close contact with sick people seems like a completely different matter.

Without a significant plan on which my optimal health depended, my answer would be a firm ‘yes,’ I would show up. My approach would be to take measures that could help to mitigate the potential damage. I’d wear a mask and I’d wash my hands thoroughly. And I’d just hope for the best.

Unfortunately, during this stretch of illness, none of the grandparents were available for a range of reasons. But there was another set of players…the very active and involved great grandparents, all in their early 80s!

But should they and would they come to the rescue?

Upon careful consideration and full recognition of the gravity of the situation, all three of them did! They understood the risks and they (maybe reluctantly) accepted them. I know they could see how desperate the situation was. But because they all feel very attached and have such big hearts, they set aside concerns for their own well-being.

It takes a village and the village showed up. But there were consequences. One great grandma fared fine, but my parents did not. Within about 36 hours, my mom got violently sick, then 24 hours later my dad did. The illness lasted about 48 hours, then they recovered. But it was a rough 48 hours.

They rolled the dice and fortunately, they were able to pull through the sickness. But would they do that again? Hard to say, but I think they would be justified in hesitating and possibly declining.

Fundamentally, I believe that when family members are in crisis, we need to extend whatever help we can. I fully subscribe to the notion that this is a serious obligation. Crisis can arise in many different forms, too, and that’s when the rubber hits the road.

I am pleased that our family has tires with great traction!