Alzheimer's: My Mother's Approval

Ruby, you surely do know how to touch the human heart with your tender words.I'm so sorry your mother was blind to your goodness all those years. And I'm so glad you had two and a half years of her loving you for who you are. I wish you could see her more often, but maybe that would just tear you up more.I do have one question. How do you and your sister get along now? Did she revel in being the "special" one, or did she feel bad that you were the black sheep.Gosh, the things that parents do to their kids . . .The love and forgiveness you developed toward your mother have set you free. Thanks for sharing this.

Quote from rn/writerruby, you surely do know how to touch the human heart with your tender words.i'm so sorry your mother was blind to your goodness all those years. and i'm so glad you had two and a half years of her loving you for who you are. i wish you could see her more often, but maybe that would just tear you up more.i do have one question. how do you and your sister get along now? did she revel in being the "special" one, or did she feel bad that you were the black sheep.gosh, the things that parents do to their kids . . .the love and forgiveness you developed toward your mother have set you free. thanks for sharing this.

Just reading this made me feel like a held breath and a heart-beat. I guess what doesn't kill you makes you stronger. I think that though our experiences weren't alike they evoked similar responses internally. I can appreciate how far you've come, but I FEEL where you once were.

This broke my heart. My mom is also in the middle-stages of AD. She used to be pretty critical (but always loving) but is now pretty oblivious to all the things that bothered her (for better or worse). The lack of awareness is both oddly comforting and deeply saddening to witness. She just moved with my dad into an independent living place which has assisted and memory care attached. My sisters and I are praying that she stays in this stage for a while, because she can still enjoy life day to day. She of course has no short-term memory or sense of orientation, and has signs everywhere reminding her how to do everything. I'm so afraid of the day when she won't know who I am, and hope it's a long way off. This started when Mom was 65; she's now 71. People always expect that AD patients are in their 80s - it does affect younger seniors, too.

That was really touching and sad at the same time. I understand where you are coming from. Mom is the same with us. Even though I'm the one who has stayed and excelled I was always being compared to my older sister and younger sister because they are more social, dress better, etc than me. Its gotten better since my little sister has gotten married but sometimes she can still be really hurtful. Those scars may fade but never really go away I think but at least you got to enjoy your mothers' unconditional love for a short period. Thanks for sharing!