When Parents Move In
After over three years on the market, my parents are selling their ranch in Wyoming and moving closer to all the kids. They came out and found some property and now need to build a house and start the moving process. When the question of renting came up, my husband offered to let them temporarily live with us.
So we sat down to talk about what this would look like. Our most important concerns came out first.
Me: I need to pack up the guest room and figure out drawers and closet space for you.
Mom: I'm worried about interfering in your marriage.
Dad: I need my yogurt every day.
Me: Would a dresser and a wardrobe closet be enough?
Mom: I just don't want to interfere in your marriage.
Me: What does that mean?
Dad: I also need my own special potty paper.
Mom: I need lemonade.
Me: Am I shopping for you if you move here? You can shop.
Mom: What about your marriage?
Me: Mom, is that code for asking if we do stuff all over the house? We'll rein it in for six months.
Mom: No, I just... (fades off in acknowledgement that she indeed meant that but feels weird now).
Me: And we need to talk about which pans don't go in the dishwasher.
This will no doubt be interesting. On the positive side, our lack of babysitters is now a problem solved.
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