Family Moments and Memories Continue to be Important

You are having a proud momma moment.

Lately your older son has been asking you how to make his favorite food items. He texted back and forth with you all day yesterday about how to make Cincinnati Chili, asking things like:

• “I think one pound of ground beef will taste better than the three quarters pound in the recipe. What do you think?” He was halving the recipe, so you answered that yes, of course, he can add more meat. It’s chili!
• “Can I use black beans instead of kidney beans?” Another of course answer from you including some encouragement indicating that if he thinks that will taste better, he should go for it!
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• “Is tomato juice the same thing as tomato sauce?” You called back for this one to explain that, no, the sauce is thicker and better suited unless he likes really soupey chili.”

In the end, he sent you a photo of the finished product, and that picutre made you realize he appreciated all of the “mom” stuff you used to do and will likely pass these traditions along to his own family eventually.

Which is the whole point of life, is it not?

Family Traditions Are an Important Part of Rasigin Children

In addition to sharing recipes and other family traditions with your three children, however, you also are wondering if they notice the care that you are providing to your family. With an aging mom who is already stretched thin carrying for your father, you have had to step in and offer many kinds of support. You have, of course, delivered a few batches of the family favorite Cincinnati chili, but you have also helped order wheelchair tires, shower chair seats, and found in home services that can make your mom’s life a little easier. With socially distanced visits in the driveway, you feel lucky that you have still been able to have some weekly contact, but you are thankful that your parents are able to remain in the home.

The fact that they are still in their home, of course, is at least partially dependent on the fact that you are close by and that they have the resources to get the supplies and the care that they needed. When the wheelchair technician met you in the garage to replace the wheelchair tires, for example, he noticed that it took more effort than necessary to get the chair from in the house to in the garage. He suggested not only a newer accessibility transition piece for the flooring but also made some wheelchair alterations after he replaced the wheelchair tires. Those two changes have made it easier for both of your parents and you were again reminded of how thankful you are for the resources they have.

The latest research indicates that more than 20 million people over the age of 18 have serious difficulty walking or climbing stairs, making up 7.1% of non-institutionalized people with disabilities. This statistic, of course, does not tell the whole story. Within this 7.1% there are varying degrees of accessibility pictures. From families who can afford and have the resources to get an electric chair with the right kind of wheelchair tires that allow for being as mobile outside as inside to those families who are making due with a difficult to push and maneuver non electric chair, the resources that families with disabilities have varies.

In addition to the accessibility issues that families with disabilities have, there are also many other kinds of considerations. For instance, did you know people with disabilities earn 70% less yearly than those without disabilities? And while there are some in this category who are unable to work, there are also others who would be able to earn more if they could physically access training and education to help them get better and higher paying jobs. A nation that does not look out for its elderly and those with disabilities is a nation that is not modeling compassion. As parents who are caring for their elders know, if you do not model the kind of care that the older loved one in your family need, the chance of your children caring for you in the future is lessened.