Sandwich Generation

Today I truly feel as if I am part of the Sandwich Generation, that group of midlifers responsible for both children and parents. It adds an incredible amount of stress to my life to worry about both sets of people.

My father is in the hospital, again. My mother may need surgery, if not immediately, then soon. Meanwhile, my siblings and I have decided not to tell my father about my mother's health issue (I don't think it's an emergency, yet) in case it exacerbates his own problems, which are cardiac related. We're hoping his doctor, who is also my mother's doctor, won't mention it during rounds.

It's interesting to realize how advances in medicine have made the Sandwich Generation possible. My parents did not have these issues with their parents as they (mostly) did not live as long, since many health problems could not be treated successfully. My sister contends we midlifers need to start planning now how to live out our old ages, as we will likely (and hopefully) be around when our own children are midlife adults themselves, with their own responsibilities and problems.

Luckily, my parents live close by. I can only imagine the stress if they lived far away.