Being in Sandwich Generation Aint Easy!

Today has been a tough day. Too many people needing me and I feel like I don’t have anything left to give. It’s not easy being in the sandwich generation when you have to care for your parents and your kids.

I feel like I’m often a bad mother and a bad daughter and everyone is getting short changed including me.  I’m not a natural caregiver. At least not for people. I am for animals. That brings up a whole another can of guilt. Why should I care more for animals than I do people? I don’t know. I was just born feeling very close to animals, specially dogs. Of course I love my family more than my pets but it just seems like such a physical & emotional struggle to care for people and it doesn’t for animals. I’ve accepted that in myself and if that makes me a bad person, well so be it. I don’t know how to change it.

I do try to be a good caregiver, most the time.  But then are times when an elderly parent is specially demanding and I think if I have to do this another day, I’m going to lose my mind. But then, I get up the next day and do it again. I keep myself sane  by telling myself that it’s not forever. To appreciate the time I have left with them. And I have my fantasies of living in a log cabin, on a lake in the country with no responsibility to anyone but myself. That’s what keeps me going.

I know I’m not alone out here. There are many of us in the baby boomer generation that are struggling to keep it together caring for surly teenagers and elderly, ill parents along with homes, relationships and jobs or businesses. You don’t hear too much about us, probably cos we are just too tired and busy to make waves. But we are a silent army, trying to keep our families together and ourselves in one piece.

Ok, I feel better now that I had my little rant.  I can face another day. I guess I’m lucky this blog is new with not many readers. LOL.

Today’s life tip:

If you have a problem with toenail fungus and can’t afford the very expensive prescription that takes many months for it to even work, there is a simple alternative.  Alot of folks have had luck with Vicks Salve, something you can buy very cheaply in any drugstore. Just slather it on and under your tonenails at night before bed and put cotton socks on to sleep. You can rub some in, in the morning too before you put your shoes and socks on. You should see an improvement within a month or two.