Can’t she understand that there are more important things than her daughter’s Kindergarten graduation? 

There is so much that goes into caring for a sick family member. If you’ve never done it, then you really don’t know what it’s like. If you have to provide around-the-clock care for an adult who cannot take care of themselves, it’s so much more difficult than caring for a child. If your child is well, they can learn new things and become more independent over time, which takes some of the load off their parents. When an adult has a condition like dementia that is only going to get worse over time and never better, it is really hard to have a positive attitude about caregiving. The person you’re taking care of might not have the facilities to appreciate your hard work. Your kids might come back to you as adults and thank you for raising them once they see how other people are raised, but your mom with Alzheimer’s will not have that realization if the disease gets bad enough.

Both of the families in this story have their hands full with caregiving. The mom has a 16-year-old son who is low-functioning. Her sister-in-law is taking care of her mother-in-law, who has dementia. The dad is taking care of the mom, who has bipolar disorder. And get this: before the mom had dementia, she was taking care of her low-functioning grandson. The mom is mad that her sister-in-law’s caregiving took precedence over her daughter’s kindergarten graduation, and she expressed her dissatisfaction to her sister-in-law, who was incredibly angry that she’d be so disrespectful.