THE WEEK
The emotional struggle of being a parent while saying goodbye to your own
by Anna Lane
When my husband and I were a younger, newly married couple, the entirety of our discussions surrounding when to have children revolved around whether we were ready, financially and emotionally, to raise a child. What we didn't entirely realize was that postponing parenthood would ultimately result in our being forced to balance not just our kids and our careers, but caring for our ailing parents, as well.
Six years after our wedding — after a total of 12 years together — we finally started a family. And now, in addition to having two small children, we also have four elderly parents. There's a term for couples like us, for people juggling the duties of caring simultaneously for young children and aging parents: We're "The Sandwich Generation." Here we are, trapped between two demanding extremes, with not enough time or energy to give either one our all. [Read more at TheWeek.com]