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One positive aspect of getting my dad out of the house is, being seen in public with him in public lends some street cred to me.
At 35 living at home with my parents, I'm actually pretty lucky.
I think it's like this. People see I'm with my dad, and he's not looking so spritely. It strikes a chord in their hearts about their own relationship with their parent.
Maybe their parent has passed away. If alive, maybe they've become distant, estranged, or even cut ties altogether.
They see me hanging with Big Poppa getting almond milk in the Meijer dairy, and wish their own relationship could be more like ours. Grief, remembrance, and celebration.
By assuming the caregiver role, you've got it.
It's like a shiny imaginary credit cared that causes people to feel good about themselves when you let them help you.
It's your privilege as a family caregiver to play the caregiver card as you wish.
You could use the caregiver card to get ahead, by asking that familiar Meijer Greeter Man to help get my dad from the car to the store on an especially cold Michigan winter. Thanks, buddy!
You could use the caregiver card to get even, by asking your long-distance sibling who's "just too busy" to setup some recurring Amazon Grocery payments.
Like the conniving caregiver you are, you could use the caregiver card to enforce boundaries with the person you care for. "No, that's my bottom line."
Use your caregiver card responsibly.
The Caregiver Card is a currency held only by unpaid caregivers who choose to. Overtime, choosing to play your caregiver card in the correct circumstances can lead to an increase in self-worth and getting your needs met as well as a decrease in self-deprecation and getting pushed around.
