Living with Dad - the story so far

I moved into a house with an annexe for my elderly father in September.

Since Mum died the previous year, I had wanted Dad to live with me so I could keep an eye on his welfare. He lived with my brother but as my brother got more work offered hundreds of miles away, Dad was all too often on his own.

Living with Dad has worked out well. He lives in a self-contained annexe complete with bedroom, sitting room, kitchenette and bathroom. So he can have his own space and close his door against the chaos that my family creates on a daily basis.

When he wants our company, he can just walk through a door without even having to go outside and vice versa.

The lovely parts of living with Dad are

* Not having to worry about him constantly from far away
* Having access to his wit, wisdom and conversation
* Having him make me a cuppa and offer a variety of biscuits and buns
* Having someone there to talk to when I get lonesome
* Party nights till 4am on occasion
* My 3 children learning from him every day
* Seeing him loving country life and the animals

The challenging parts of living with Dad are

* Trying to stop him paying for things that he shouldn't
* Trying to restrict him from doing so much labourwise such as carrying logs
* Balancing his need for peace with his need for company
* Trying not to let him see couple arguments
* Him blaming me if I don't get him up at some unearthly early hour

I love my Dad. After losing Mum in 2009, I know my time with him is limited. I am grateful to the gods for allowing me this very special time to get to know Dad all over again and to laugh, learn and lean a lot.

I highly recommend three-generation living