Hello community. I believe you guys are mostly in the USA so I apologise if the time of night is bad. I’m just going to spit it out, I can’t have my Dad live with me anymore. I am 33 married with a child, currently 8.5 months pregnant with our second child. Our house is large and Dad moved in 3 years ago. This maybe be a low number of years but the 24-7 of it all is driving me insane. He’s 86 and a wonderful man, no doubt there, but the constant idiosyncrasies, his weird habits, the noises, lack of social graves and just blatant absence of manners is driving me mad. My marriage is strong but tensions are rising all the time and with two young children I see myself having some kind of breakdown. I can’t do it. He can self fund accommodation but he doesn’t want to leave our house. Everything’s done for him here. Why would he want to? My husband is a patient kind hearted man, but sex drive, romance and any spontaniaty have left the building. We are still a young-ish family and want our space. Please don’t condemn me for this post I have no siblings to help and my mother passed away 15 years ago. Any advice or even just someone say that they know what I’m talking about?!? Arrgghhhhhh thank you and lots of love. P.S, I don’t hatemy Dad I just can’t live with him anymore !!!!
You sound like ME!!
You can add “constant demands, constant complaints about the food because of his teeth because he doesnt have any and his partial doesnt fit anymore and the constant smells of medicated lotions and his furniture stinking to high Heaven!”
I finally told hubby “Its your dad or me!” “I cant take it anymore!”
Your too young! You are barely starting your family! You DONT NEED THE STRESS!!
Its not good for you but especially not good for the baby!
You need to sit down with your dad and be like “Dad, I love you, but this isnt working. We are going to have to find you your own place. I am really stressed out with the baby and the little one and doing everything around here. I cant do it anymore. I dont want to hurt the baby because Im stressed out.”
See what he says? If he loves you and cares about you he will understand, but if he doesnt then your going to have hubby tell him to get out!
I know its a really hard thing to do but my father in law is the same way! Since they are old men they like having the woman do everything for them. Its the old west 1950s mentality. “Women should cater to the man”
Well I DONT cater and I DONT follow demands, not even for my husband!
Your way too young to be going through this! Your dad needs his own place! Theres social workers and elderly services to help him. Make phone calls and start the ball rolling, the more you work on getting him out the more relief you will feel.
Believe me, since hubby agreed and we found a place for his dad, Im still stressed out but I see the light at the end of the tunnel! I know soon he will be out and that gives me piece of mind everytime I see him being arrogant and making a mess. In my mind Im like “Dude your days are numbered!” I laugh because I know that he will be living with his arrogant self and I dont have to have the constant stress!
Do yourself a favor and start looking into senior care and living options! Get him out before he gets sick and he cant live on his own!
Sometimes you have to do tough love. It sound harsh but your dads life is almost over and yours has just begun!
Good luck and HUGS!!
I’m not going to give you advice, because there are so many different variables. My family made our choice to stay in the same house...but we have a large house which allows all of us to have our own space. However, my father is still self-sufficient. Just a lot of odd habits and demands to be waited on. Mobility is an issue since he’s got bad knees and often never leaves his bed.
While he can can get out of bed, bathe, dress, and feed himself, then we’re willing to stick it out. But if lifting becomes involved, we just won’t be able...and that’s because we want everyone to be safe. We also have a lady in once a week to clean his room and change his linens.
But it that’s us. You have a young family that demands your attention. You’re not horrible. You’re tired. And don’t minimize being tired.
I would get him in his own digs before he’s too sick to live on his own. If he has the means to live outside your home, he should do so. It doesn’t sound as if even he is happy with the current arrangement.
Maybe you can get some information on senior living places (some are very nice near me) and talk to your husband and get him on board. Hopefully your husband will support you in restoring peace to your life - well, as much peace as you’ll get with a newborn. 🍼
Stop beating yourself up and go find a 55+ community and/or Assistance facility that offers everything your father needs and more. There many places for seniors that are active and their around people of their own age and can get involved in activities or they can stay in their apartments.
You need to take care of yourself, your baby and family. Your health is paramount.
Take a deep breath. Sit him down, and tell him just (nearly) what you wrote here. But, add that you are concerned with his safety and his mental well-being. Like a kid, he needs friends that are his peers. Take him to the places you think he'd approve. Then have him choose. Put a deadline on it and stick to it.
I can hear you now. I CAN'T THROW HIM OUT. Well, yes you can.
Before you end up with an elder that needs care that does him no good, your kids no good, and most of all, your marriage no good.
Look into Brookdale facilities. My parents lived in one and it was fabulous. Like an apartment not a nursing home. No shared rooms, unless he wants to share a two-bedroom. Terrific food with a daily menu, not take-it-or-leave-it. Lots of fun including outings.
Believe me, I've been there. Your dad will flourish. Your home will be yours again. Just do it. Remember you are responsible for his safety, not his care.
Great advice! More of us need to listen. I want my life back too. Working on it, takes time to prepare and sort out.
Mind you, I am disabled with cerebral palsy…. When I finally gave up, and to keep my promise for my dad to die at home, I decided to hire one of the in-home agency without Dad’s consent. I knew that he would say no if I ask him if it was okay. My dad became a very stubborn person. I used his money for his care ($2,000/month). I actually got some relief from worrying about my dad.
So, I think you should do the same thing because if you don’t, you definitely will have a nervous break down!! However, first, tell your dad that he needs extra attention, and care. Then, make the arrangements for the in-home care or senior living facility. ❤️🙏🏻
Take care of you! You want your family to thrive and it is okay to realize he may thrive in another environment.
Please do NOT in any way, shape or form, be apologetic. You sound like a very conscientious, wonderful daughter, with a huge age difference with your dad.
When I was 19 and first married, because I was a nurse and my husband the "golden child" of his family of 8 brothers and sisters, they naturally assumed his father would come and live with us. I said NO. I am pretty sure my husband did not want to either; I really do not remember but both have passed away many years ago. But I was married my husband, not him and his father.
Fast forward to my being 60+ and Mom (90's) living with me. She has no one else and despite our differences, we get along fairly well 95% of the time. BUT, I am single, 3 children grown (youngest about your age), and her husband (my dad) and my husband passed away a long time ago. So it works.
But, I never never would have had a parent(s) live with me while we were a young family with children at home. We needed our privacy and to deal with the ups and downs between the 5 of us, not the 5 of us plus a parent.
Both of you and your husband sit down with your father and have a discussion with him to let him know that although you all love him and will always love him, that the situation is not working out and that you all need your privacy and find an assisted living facility (ALF) where he can live and you all can visit. Sounds easy... it isn't, I know.
But YOU and your family are important and need your time alone, to live, to love, to argue, to "everything" else in between. Just please do not feel guilty.
I'm trying so hard to build healthy boundaries with my mom and my failure to thrive, 55 year old, addicted brother, who lives with her. I have decided that having compassion does not rest in family obligation. That taking care of myself and my family first is the loving thing to do for all. That creating a different living arrangement than what they expect is not cruel. That guilt can be a liar and we give it entirely too much power in our lives. That one person in our lives cannot have the power to destroy the rest of relationships.
Whenever guilt paints my thoughts, I try to reset my mind and rest in creating a loving plan for all involved and stay firm in my resolve. Tell guilt to essentially "*iss" off!
I wish you peace, strength, health, and clarity as you move forward in creating these things in your family.
When on an airline... the stewardess will give the departure discourse on what to do if air cabin pressure is lost and you are seated next to a young child, or older parent who are unable to care for themselves. Do you know? Do you give them their oxygen mask first? Compassion would suggest firstly that this would be the best answer because after all you are responsible for their safety and well being and if you don't give them their air oxygen mask they might not get it!
But that is the point.. The answer is You give the oxygen to yourself FIRST. That way there will always be someone capable to give the oxygen and anything else that is required. A young child, or an elder parent with dementia could not save you if needed, but if you take care of your family and yourself first you can make sure that life balance is kept.
So.. to Natalie.. You will find that having help to care for your father's increasingly medical and mental conditions will help you. And as I discovered, my mother is much happier with others who are of her own generation.
Everything’s done for him here. Why would he want to? * i think this statement is uncalled for though.
I hope all will be sort out in a way where everyone can be content and happy.
Than both of you should sit dad down and explain your decision to him. make him understand you are no deserting him and will always be there for him but with the baby coming you can not handle everything as you have in the past three years. I would get him involved into looking for a senior care with people his age. go over his finances and see what he can afford. take him with you to check out places .
dad needs to understand you are one person and cant handle every thing. tell him all love him dearly and will be there in person and by phone as much as you can. He needs to know he is not being thrown out and neglected .
the other option is to keep it as is and but by reading your story it doesn't sound like that would be a good thing for the future of your health and/or the future of your family.
dads going to have to learn that he raised his family and its time for you to raise yours...
good luck......
No matter what, do not feel guilty for having these feelings.
I underestimated the stress and strains of having my father in law move in with us four months ago.
All the reasons you listed are exactly what made me want to scream every day!!!
I gave up trying to get him to use a plate when eating snacks(which he did throughout the day)and tossing his dog(ugh, not dog people, have two cats)pieces of whatever he was chomping on.
I tried to reset everyday and start fresh, but by mid morning I was worn down.
My husband and 20 year college student daughter, were busy with long days at work and school, so it was me, 24/7 cleaning and cooking and taking care of a dog that I didn’t want.
Although my FIL was constantly thanking me and appreciated everything I did for him, I became bitter and resentful.
We moved him into an assisted living home just yesterday. The dog is still with us(for now). We will take her over for visits.
He is 93 and going strong.
His doctor diagnosed him with onset demensia, but says he could be at the same stage for another 8-10 years.
I do not feel guilty or ashamed, I know I did my best to take care of him.
I literally, put “my life” on hold for the past 4 months. I’m ready to go back to work (had quit my job to stay home and take care of him after he fell in his home)
If anyone were to ask my opinion about moving an elderly parent in with them, I would stress the importance of having a back up plan!
Best of luck to you, my heart goes out to you and your family.
Bless your heart! And after having been on this site, I believe for over a year now, if ever I were to think about quitting my job to stay home and be the caregiver, I will never, ever do that, especially after reading the experiences and advice on here.
I absolutely 99% of the time loved being as much of a stay-at-home mom when my children were growing up as I could. However, as much as some liken aging adults to having "another kid" at home, it totally is not. An aging adult is its own tenuous category; they are most definitely not children.... not in size, not in how you can try to manage them, etc.
Mom who is 93 is the epitome of good health, albeit her high blood pressure which recently each afternoon skyrocketed after a recent UTI and completion of the antibiotic (all cleared up now; we checked). So after taking her to the excellent ARNP last week and with her suggestion/encouragement of home health and PT/OT for a bit, it was begun this weekend. I already feel a bit of weight lifted just to have other eyes in the house even for a bit periodically. Had we left the decision up to Mom, "no, I don't want anyone in the house (my house :) which I share with her" and it was a definite no yesterday when it was said the PT eval would be today, and again this morning, she comes in with her calendar and says "It's Sunday, the PT can't be coming here today". I looked at her blankly and said, yes, he is, between 11 and 11:30. So she turned around and went back to her room to dress :) Yay! A win for the daughter!!
And the little things you have to do, clean up what they can’t, make sure things are accessible to them. My mother-in-law is short, so she can’t reach most of our dishes. I have some set aside in a cupboard she can reach, but I feel like it is on me to make sure there are always enough dishes there because, if there aren’t, she doesn’t say anything, she get our Pyrex containers that she can reach which are then unavailable when I need them! I work at home and I had to stop working on a job so I could turn the closed captioning off on her TV.
My husband tries to make sure I have some time to myself and I have been going to see a movie once a week, it it isn’t the same thing. I do feel bad for feeling like I complain a lot and for constantly asking when we are going to have the conversation about how long she is going to be with us.
I think everyone in this type of situation is going to have some sort of guilt over the negative feelings we have, but we have to realize that it is okay and sometimes we need to get out of the situation for everyone’s sake. Just writing this has made me realize that I should probably talk to my husband about getting her out of the house during the week so I can have my own space for just a little bit.
I feel like I am just rambling here because of all the things that I think about that just stress me out about the whole thing.
I wish you luck and hope you know, I am right there, mentally screaming with you.
Look for this thread:
https://www.agingcare.com/questions/mother-in-law-lied-to-us-to-move-in-am-i-stuck-with-her-forever-now-446777.htm
Read all the answers and sub-answers. Learn from it.
The details vary from story to story. One common theme across most of the tales: The man of the house (son of MIL) can’t/won’t get the ball rolling.
Wife always has to be the bad guy.
So be it. Rehearse your speech and deliver it. Soon.