It’s been almost a year already since we had a household help. My family had always been self-sufficient—we got by on our own without a help—but when my mom first had her stroke, it was incredibly difficult not to hire one. My sister had just checked out of psych rehab during that time, and my mom pretty much had the run of the household. My dad and I used to be useless when it came to household chores, and spent most of our time working instead of cooking or doing the laundry. My contribution was limited to washing the dishes, while my dad did the “guy stuff†like electrical repairs or cleaning up the dogs’ mess.
My mom’s stroke was a huge blow to our lifestyle. Dad had to learn cooking, while I had to take over the laundry. Apart from that, we had to work. I couldn’t leave the house when Dad was out, and that really put a strain on my schedule, since I had to make sure that I timed client meetings when Dad didn’t have an assignment. The social life Marc and I had was limited to hanging out in front of the TV while watching over my sister and my mom. The tiring and stressful routine went on for a couple of months, until Dad and I finally decided we needed help. Read more