American women who leave their jobs and exit their careers to take care of elderly parents may find that the needs of ailing parents can offer "cultural shelter" and an "excuse to pull away and look inward" in the words of Arlie Hochschild, professor at UCal, Berkeley.
From The Daughter Track: Trading Career for Caring.
Until February, Mary Ellen Geist was the archetypal American career woman, a radio news anchor with a six-figure salary and a suitcase always packed for the next adventure, whether a third world coup, a weekend of wine tasting or a job in a bigger market.
But now, Geist, 49, has a life that would be unrecognizable to colleagues and friends in Los Angeles, San Francisco and New York. She has returned to her family home near Detroit to care for her parents, one lost to dementia and the other to sorrow.
Geist sleeps in the dormered bedroom of her childhood and survives without urban amenities like white balsamic vinegar. She starts her days reminding her father, Woody, a sweet-tempered 78- year-old who once owned an auto parts company, how to spoon cereal from his bowl.
Posted by Jill Fallon at December 2, 2005 7:45 PM | PermalinkBoth my parents are dead so the task of care-giving will not fall to me, but I married late, at the age of 50. I had a good life before then, but being married was interesting insofar as it demanded I think about another person for a change. After 50 years of thinking only about myself and my own needs, this was a new and exciting challenge. I would compare marriage (maybe at any age) to a spiritual exercise. Certainly, starting late in life has led to a major inner transformation that has been quite rewarding.
Posted by: goethe girl at December 10, 2005 11:26 AMBoth my parents are dead so the task of care-giving will not fall to me, but I married late, at the age of 50. I had a good life before then, but being married was interesting insofar as it demanded I think about another person for a change. After 50 years of thinking only about myself and my own needs, this was a new and exciting challenge. I would compare marriage (maybe at any age) to a spiritual exercise. Certainly, starting late in life has led to a major inner transformation that has been quite rewarding.
Posted by: goethe girl at December 10, 2005 11:26 AM