Three Levels. Four People.

There is a family I know about...the story goes something like this;

One house.  Three levels. Four people.  The very bottom level is where the mothers  live.  The middle level is strictly utilitarian, holding the kitchen, dining room and living room. The upper level is where the husband and wife live.  So you've got the husband and wife caring for each of their mothers who live with them.   Did I mention the husband is 81, the wife 76 ,mother#1 is 99 and mother #2 is 103 ? Oh......the wife does all the care giving for both mothers.  The husband plays golf every day......except Saturdays and Sundays.....except when there's a tournament. 

Did I mention the husband/son doesn't like his mother?
 Oh, did I mention mother #2 doesn't like the sons mother either?
 And by the way the wife.......she never did like the mother.

 Now there's are reasons why one doesn't like the other.....it goes way back to when the son was growing up.

 He tells that his mother made him eat "mush" for breakfast everyday, made him wear knickers to school when all the other boys wore blue jeans and whopped him on a regular basis just for good measure.  He got socks and underware for Christmas when all he wanted was a Tonka Truck.  He says of himself, he was 4'11 as a senior in high school, a scrawny little kid and he blames his mother for it all.

  Now the wife doesn't like the mother because the mother never really accepted her.  The mother thought her son, the husband, should have married ole whatshername instead, and so treats the wife with disrespect.

  Now the other mother.....the wifes mother, who has lived with the husband and wife for over 20 years,  has some resentments going on towards the husbands mother.  It started long time ago not sure when exactly but......let me tell you when this ole girl gets a resentment she's like a dog on a bone.  Something happend years ago that mother #2 never forgave mother #1 for.

Then.......the real kicker is this......when the husbands mother came to live with them.  It was an unexpected thing, something that had to be done but whoda thunk...... The house is already pretty crowded.  Now they have to make room for his mother.  So some remodeling happens, furniture is moved in, and lives are interrupted.  It's an inconvenience but hey, it had to be done.  Nobody really likes the situation but.....it had to be done.

Now with two old mothers living with them the retired husband and wife are faced with another dilema.  How do they live a retired life?....if they want to take a trip, who will take care of the mothers?  The wife is basically confined to the home caring for both mothers, and the husband stays out of everyones way and plays golf every day.  Three times a year or so the husband sends the wife off to visit the grandkids.The wifes mother usually goes and stays with her son who is very capable of caring for his mother for a short time.  So that leaves the husband home alone to care for his own mother. Now how doyathink that works out?

The husband and wife finally got someone to come in and help.  Help with bathing one of the mothers  and cleaning their rooms, some laundry and other little things around the house but the burden really is solely on the wife.

Asked why not put them in a home the wife says......I just can't.  Not yet. It's not time.

I'm told this has been going on for years.....I mean......multiple years.  I've heard stories before of children taking care of their parents.....but  this one is for the books.