I've talked to more than enough people in my generation to say, with some degree of certainty, that many of us have found our parents to be lacking in good sense. They used to be the responsible adults, questioning our choices because we - as their children - didn't know any better. Now we're badgering, begging, and demanding they make better decisions. What the hell happened? At what point does a parent regress to a child? When did we become the adults?
Children believe in the stability and consistency their parents have to offer. Provided that their parents aren't complete psychopaths, kids grow up watching their mothers and fathers adult. They realize pretty early that their folks have to make decisions - a lot of decisions - about their families, food, money, bills, housing, and so on. That's a lot of responsibility.
Then the kids grow up. We experience the world. We make dumb mistakes. We do adult things. We pay bills, we have our own kids, we make our own decisions. Eventually, we become the adults.
So when is it, exactly? Is it the sudden freedom from adulting that causes our parents to backslide? Is it the migration from adult to elder that heightens their "I do what I want" attitude? Does having an additional 30+ years of experience warrant their "you aren't the boss of me" reactions?
Regardless of what causes it, I've got to say I am over it. My dad refuses a feeding tube, even though he is having trouble eating and is rapidly losing weight. We've tried to discuss this with him, but he's adamant he'd rather starve than use the tube. Naomi tells me her in-laws have no regard for COVID precautions. They don't quarantine when they travel and they don't bother with masks.
Argh. Being a parent to two generations of people sucks.
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