Is there a doctor in the house?
There are three phone calls that I have received that I can recall with very clear detail, where I was, what I was doing, and every detail about the call.
The first one, was when I got the call that my dad was in the hospital and it was later determined that he had had a stroke at his work. I was working on an F-15 on the ramp. I got a radio call to come back to the avionics office for a phone call. That was unusual. I was told that I needed to call my mother immediately. I called her and found out that my dad had collapsed at his work and was being taken to the hospital.
The second call, I got while I was teaching a class of 40+ mechanics about Q400 engines and props. I got a message on a post it that read something like "baby girl, pickup tomorrow, call now". I was so dumbfounded that I needed the secretary to explain the words to me. We were not expecting to hear so soon that our baby (a baby girl at that) was here in this life and ready for her new home and family. I immediately called a break for the class (it helps when you are the teacher) and went and made a phone call. I was pretty much wasted for the rest of the day. I didn't get much teaching done, I had to arrange for someone to take my classes for the rest of the week.
The third I got last week. I was at work and noticed that I had a missed call and a new voice mail on my phone. I usually ignore those until after my shift is done, but this one seemed to be nagging me. I checked and it was from my mother. Again, I usually ignore these as it usually something like her email is not working right or something. This time I had a nagging feeling so I took a quick break and checked my message. My dad had an accident and two of my brothers were with him at the hospital. Call as soon as I can. I called and found out that he had been taking his dogs for a walk and got tossed from his cart and suffered a fracture in his shoulder (she wasn't sure which bone, and it may be more than one). He was having some x-rays taken and my mother would know more soon. I took the rest of my shift off (all 25 minutes of it) and went home, changed and drove to my mothers house to await the results. Turns out he broke his collar bone, a clean break, and that he was coming home that night and would be in a lot of pain for several weeks.
It sucks to be a doctor and NOT to be in a place where you can have a say in what is going on, or to get the information first hand from the people doing the work. I know that one of the first things about being a good doctor is the ability to be objective, and that family members are never objective. Knowing this doesn't help.
My parents are not in a position to be able to deal with this turn of events very well. They have recently moved to a place that is more in line with their finances. My sister is helping out some with the household chores and errands. My dad takes the dogs for their 2 - 3 daily walks, which he can't do now. My mom's condition doesn't allow her to do many of the things that need to be done, and with my dad needing to stay in bed for a week or two, to immobilize his shoulder, she was going to be taxed more than she is able to deal with.
Being the eldest son, you have a sense of responsibility for taking care of your parents in their old age. At least I do. And not being in a position to do this really weighed heavy on me. Until I realized that I have a son as well. An 11 yo son. Who is more than capable of taking the dogs for their walks. And is more than capable to do all the things that need to be done on a daily basis while my dad is laid up. And an 11 yo son who is home-schooled, so taking a break from school is not so much of an issue. I can still forward his worksheets to my mom (who home schooled my brothers for several years when they were little) who can see that he will do them. And being his principle as well as his dad I can make this happen.
JB was a bit reluctant at first. I think that he was a bit nervous that he would be able to do the things that would be asked of him. Especially not knowing what some of those things might be. He also seemed to grow an inch or two when I discussed the situation with him and explained how he would be standing in for me, as I was not able to do these things right now and I needed him to pick up this responsibility.
We were able to go and spend the day over there on Tuesday, which JB appreciated. He seems to be a bit homesick for his family, especially his sister and mother, but at the same time didn't want to be seen as shirking his duty. He is also taking this as an opportunity to spend a lot of time watching shows that are limited to him at home. He has pretty much free reign of my parents TV in the living room. He also has free access to the computer in my parents office. So he is having a bit of a vacation. My mother has made it very clear that JB's help has been invaluable. He has been very helpful and responsible. She will probably reward him in some spectacular way, as she usually does.
The first one, was when I got the call that my dad was in the hospital and it was later determined that he had had a stroke at his work. I was working on an F-15 on the ramp. I got a radio call to come back to the avionics office for a phone call. That was unusual. I was told that I needed to call my mother immediately. I called her and found out that my dad had collapsed at his work and was being taken to the hospital.
The second call, I got while I was teaching a class of 40+ mechanics about Q400 engines and props. I got a message on a post it that read something like "baby girl, pickup tomorrow, call now". I was so dumbfounded that I needed the secretary to explain the words to me. We were not expecting to hear so soon that our baby (a baby girl at that) was here in this life and ready for her new home and family. I immediately called a break for the class (it helps when you are the teacher) and went and made a phone call. I was pretty much wasted for the rest of the day. I didn't get much teaching done, I had to arrange for someone to take my classes for the rest of the week.
The third I got last week. I was at work and noticed that I had a missed call and a new voice mail on my phone. I usually ignore those until after my shift is done, but this one seemed to be nagging me. I checked and it was from my mother. Again, I usually ignore these as it usually something like her email is not working right or something. This time I had a nagging feeling so I took a quick break and checked my message. My dad had an accident and two of my brothers were with him at the hospital. Call as soon as I can. I called and found out that he had been taking his dogs for a walk and got tossed from his cart and suffered a fracture in his shoulder (she wasn't sure which bone, and it may be more than one). He was having some x-rays taken and my mother would know more soon. I took the rest of my shift off (all 25 minutes of it) and went home, changed and drove to my mothers house to await the results. Turns out he broke his collar bone, a clean break, and that he was coming home that night and would be in a lot of pain for several weeks.
It sucks to be a doctor and NOT to be in a place where you can have a say in what is going on, or to get the information first hand from the people doing the work. I know that one of the first things about being a good doctor is the ability to be objective, and that family members are never objective. Knowing this doesn't help.
My parents are not in a position to be able to deal with this turn of events very well. They have recently moved to a place that is more in line with their finances. My sister is helping out some with the household chores and errands. My dad takes the dogs for their 2 - 3 daily walks, which he can't do now. My mom's condition doesn't allow her to do many of the things that need to be done, and with my dad needing to stay in bed for a week or two, to immobilize his shoulder, she was going to be taxed more than she is able to deal with.
Being the eldest son, you have a sense of responsibility for taking care of your parents in their old age. At least I do. And not being in a position to do this really weighed heavy on me. Until I realized that I have a son as well. An 11 yo son. Who is more than capable of taking the dogs for their walks. And is more than capable to do all the things that need to be done on a daily basis while my dad is laid up. And an 11 yo son who is home-schooled, so taking a break from school is not so much of an issue. I can still forward his worksheets to my mom (who home schooled my brothers for several years when they were little) who can see that he will do them. And being his principle as well as his dad I can make this happen.
JB was a bit reluctant at first. I think that he was a bit nervous that he would be able to do the things that would be asked of him. Especially not knowing what some of those things might be. He also seemed to grow an inch or two when I discussed the situation with him and explained how he would be standing in for me, as I was not able to do these things right now and I needed him to pick up this responsibility.
We were able to go and spend the day over there on Tuesday, which JB appreciated. He seems to be a bit homesick for his family, especially his sister and mother, but at the same time didn't want to be seen as shirking his duty. He is also taking this as an opportunity to spend a lot of time watching shows that are limited to him at home. He has pretty much free reign of my parents TV in the living room. He also has free access to the computer in my parents office. So he is having a bit of a vacation. My mother has made it very clear that JB's help has been invaluable. He has been very helpful and responsible. She will probably reward him in some spectacular way, as she usually does.