Have you ever heard of the sandwich season of life? It occurs when you are still in the stage of taking care of your own children, while now having to worry about and possibly take care of your parents. One thing that I seem to continuously forget is that as I age, and my children age, so do my parents. When I was younger, I always felt that my parents were invincible, and would never get old. Now I am seeing that we are all aging as the years go by.
I have found myself in the early stages of the sandwich season of life. I worry about my mother and things that are going on with her. I know that in the near future, I am going to need to step up and step into her life more. Helping with healthcare decisions and other aspects of life are inevitable. Yet, I still have three children who are in different stages of life that I am caring for.
My oldest is almost 19, and though she is self-sufficient, I feel I need to guide her through some choices to assure she will stay grounded in life. We are at a point where she is letting go and going on a new and exciting path in life, and I am learning how to let go and when to still step in. My son is 15 and beginning to make his own choices as he begins to push away, and my youngest is 11 and navigating through middle school. Activities and events are always consuming our time, along with homework and everything else life holds.
Along with this, I work and go to school. My husband works and goes out of town often for his job. We are always running it seems, with never enough time. And now, here I am in the sandwich season. It is a time that I will soon learn how to navigate better. In time, it won’t feel so heavy and overwhelming. But for now, I will try to figure it all out.
Raising my kids and learning to let go. Stepping back into my parent’s lives with a more active role. These are the new norms that I accept. Growing up never really stops as there are always different seasons to go through with their own new challenges. So, now I enter the sandwich season, hoping to succeed with the best attitude I can.
A Beautiful Disaster 
This transition can be made easier if members of your aging family also becomes your friends. When this task becomes solely an obligation, it’s much harder to endure it.
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