A few years ago while doing a project, I’d visited dozens of homes for the aged, and found how aged parents were packed off there, quite often so the family could take over and occupy the bedroom, sometimes just a balcony they’d occupied in their twilight years. “Come and stay with us dad,” said the young successful son as they stood in grief at the burial of his mother. The father was at first reluctant.
“Son,” he said, “mother and I always planned to enter an old folks home and now that she is gone I am planning to move there alone.” “Father,” said the son, “an old folks home! You can’t be serious. You know that I have a beautiful house with lots of rooms.
” The father, thus persuaded, reluctantly moved in with his son and family. The first few years were perfect. The family was very understanding and loved him very much, especially his grandson and he in return loved them all.
They were a happy family.Time passed by and little cracks appeared. The old man they felt spent too much time in the bathroom! They said he slept too often and too long! Slowly love gave place to tolerance and tolerance to intolerance, till gradually the once loving relationship started deteriorating.
“Father,” said his once loving son a little abruptly, “Your grandson’s grown up now, he needs his own room, you’ll have to shift to the balcony,” and though the little boy protested that he loved having his grandfather with him, the old man was moved out. One day the.
