Daddy Therapy

My mother has a habit of closing things really tightly as if there is poison inside the jar or flowing from the faucet of everything she seals. Since my right side is not as strong as my left from the stroke, it is often very frustrating to not be able to open these things.

Today I once again explained that I can't open faucets when she does this. I truly believe that sometimes she forgets I went through what I did which is kind of nice sometimes, I guess. This creeps in when I am tired and slur and she asks me if I'm drunk and I have to again remind her of what happens when I just can't focus on sounding proper when I'm too sleepy to care.

This morning I spoke to my father and vented my frustrations to him. It was only after I got off the phone that I realized that he too must have gone through this having his stroke a little over 10 years ago. Just as my mom forgets I went through this at moments, I forget my Dad did too. It's always interesting to speak to him about my troubles or frustrations with recovery because he almost never puts his own experiences into the conversation. He takes the Daddy card and listens intently and tries to make me feel better which he almost always does. Next time I have one of these moments, I have to remember to ask him if this ever happened to him and remember, I have my own little support group right in front of me.