Community Chat

[LilacTree]

Nobody had to take my keys away.  I still own the car, but my daughter drives it.  First of all, I am in too much discomfort sitting at the wheel and I can't turn my head/body easily; second, my hands are disfigured and grasping is always painful; third, my once extremely good sense of direction and spatial prowess has left me.  I knew it was time to quit five years ago.

[LilacTree]

Driving was everything to my beloved sister.  She would get in her car and drive around the mountainsides whenever she was upset. 

She drove (shouldn't have of course) right up to her last hospital stay.  One time I was up there and my brother and I were following her to the local store.  It looked like her car was driving itself because her osteoporosis was so bad, her spine had shrunk so much, that her head was not visible from behind.  We laughed so hard, tragic as it was. 

I tried to explain to her once that she might be a menace on the road because I couldn't understand how she could see over the hood of her car.  I suggested a pillow and she blew a gasket.  Fortunately nothing ever happened to her, or God forbid anyone else on the road.

I miss her so much.

[Northray]

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@Plaid Pants2 wrote:

I knew that this day was coming, and I was not looking forward to it, because I know just how stubborn, and in denial my dad can be.

As you know, he's 88, going to be 89 in February. He had cataract surgery this past Wednesday, TWO days ago!

The doctor said that it would be at least three weeks before he could drive.

He has cataract surgery on the other eye on January 6.

Today he told me that he wants to drive to church tomorrow.

I said, "No. The doctor said no driving for three weeks."

"I can see fine!"

I gave him a choice, either give me the keys, or I'm going to disable the truck.

He continued to argue.

I again gave him his choices.

More arguing.

I was adamant. He was NOT going to drive!

He wasn't giving me his keys, so I marched out to his truck, (I have keys to it), popped the hood, and started to look at what I could pull.

Dad came out, asked what I was going to do to disable it.

I said, "I'll pull the spark plugs out of it.", and I had my hand on the wires, ready to do so.

He then threw his keys on the ground, and stomped off.

I tok his keys.off of his key ring, and locked them inside my car, and no, he does not have keys to my car.

He sulked for awhile, but, once he calmed down, I reminded him, that when Mom had her cataract surgery, she didn't go driving a few days later.

I also told him that he schlepped me around plenty when I was a kid, now it's my turn to schlep him around.

That got him to chuckle.

I also told him that he would survive not driving.

But I was 100% dead serious about him not driving. I could not, in good conscience, put his safety, and the safety of others, at risk.

Yes, he can be stubborn, but I can be just as stubborn, if not more so.

I know that driving is his independence, I get that.

But sometimes safety is more important than independence.

This is that time.

*Sigh*

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Aww.... you are a good daughter.  I'm not there yet with my parental unit, as I call them, but I'm preparing, lol.