Dear Peter:
I’m caring for my 93-year-old mother. She doesn’t have dementia, but she’s just mean! I’ve tried everything I can, but I can’t make her happy. I’ve been sober for 6 years, but she makes me want me to start drinking again. I don’t know what to do, I simply can’t make her happy.
Stressed in Michigan
Dear Stressed:
You’re not responsible for your mother’s happiness; you’re responsible for your sobriety. Instead of trying to make your mother happy, call your sponsor and go to a meeting. Your mother can get happy in the same shoes she gets mad in …but if you lose your sobriety, then she has a drunk caregiver. Your sobriety is more important to this scenario than her “happiness.”
Call your sponsor,
Peter
Peter Rosenberger is the host of Hope for the Caregiver . The show is heard LIVE each Saturday at 8 AM on American Family Radio and Sundays at 6 PM on Family Talk (131 Sirius XM). Drawing upon his journey of more than 30 years as a caregiver through a medical nightmare, Peter offers a lifetime of experience and a lifeline to fellow caregivers. Pointing caregivers to safety, Peter helps them catch their breath, take a knee if needed, and develop healthier strategies to sustain them in their journey.
I have just caught your show for the first time and I wish I had known about you when taking care of my aging parents who have both passed. Caregiving is the hardest job I’ve ever done. Tested my 20+ years of recovery and spiritual growth to the max. I would like to support what you do and to be a part of your prayer team to give support and love to current givers. They don’t have to do this alone.