Eldercare, something I spent a LOT of time on in the last 13 years as an only child & the subject no one wants to talk about. Until it hits them. So many friends reaching out to me now b/c they saw what I went thru, and they're only now realizing how hard it is. 🎁 shorturl.at/npCyS 1/
It's curiously an area where people lack imaginative empathy. Many friends would lchange the subject on me if I spoke of it. None of the kind of knowing empathy of caring for children. It was maddening and demoralizing. At least a few friends didn't completely blow me off. I'm grateful for them. 2/2
I experienced lots of this too. Now that I have kids, I think the reason it’s easier to have empathy for that situation is that it’s easier to turn the suffering that comes with kids into a joke. With aging parents, there is less humor, and the joy is something one needs to search for
I think part of it is also the lack of control about it. If you hear “having kids is awful” you can think “ok, I just won’t do that” but elder care can seem like a looming event that you can’t choose to avoid.
