Now this has happened in the past but it is happening more and more frequently. Dad is lonely and I am struggling with finding new ways to combat his loneliness. This is kinda tough when your short term memory is shot to hell. Not to mention Dad is confusing me with his sisters, his mother and his wife. Now being his sister or mother is relatively easy, but being my Mom has its challenges.
For instance Dad is lonely and wants someone to sleep with. I bet you know where I am headed and it is a slippery slope. When Dad gets sleepy he wants to know where he sleeps and when I will be coming to bed with him. He is not being inappropriate as he really thinks I am my mother and it is perfectly appropriate for us to sleep together. But I know I am not his wife and my reaction is
- Ewwwwwwwww
- I am a dirty girl.
- Ewwwwwwwww.
- Distract him Debbie, distract him.
- Ewwwwwwww.
- We have now entered the ice cream emergency zone. Get the ice cream STAT.
- Ewwwwwwwwww.
- Did I say ewwwwwwwww?
I have learned how to handle it though. I casually say "I am Debbie your daughter and that would be icky." Note the technical term there, icky. The key is I cannot react. If I react (the way I want to, which is to run screaming in the other direction and finding a psychologist) he will become upset and realize something is off. If I calmly say no and reinforce who I am, all goes well. And once Dad is in bed, I hit the ice cream HARD.
No comments:
Post a Comment