Getting along with parents is not always easy. Additional difficulties in communicating with them arise when they grow old. How do you behave in order to maintain harmony in your relationship with your Elderly Parents and peace in your soul?
1. Interact with them
Don't let your Elderly parents get hung up on their illnesses and lose interest in life. Show them that you, despite their age, still trust them, not only with any issues, but also with the life and health of your children.
Take them to the store to choose a toy for the child or buy new wallpaper, ask them to help you, in what is feasible for them. Do it so that they feel their importance to others and do not feel disconnected from life and not needed by anyone.
2. Be prepared to listen more than to talk
Most of the time, older people are lonely. Although they seem to have a lot of free time in retirement, they still need to communicate. And especially with their own children.
When you visit them, be prepared to just listen to them. They will feel that you still cherish them when you show interest in their immediate problems, experiences, and memories from the past. They don't need advice or active commentary, just be able to listen to your elderly parents from time to time.
3. Think about what you say.
Be careful when talking to your elderly parents and take the time to speak your mind. Any word can offend and hurt the elderly person, because people become more vulnerable and picky with age.
There is no need to tell these parents everything that happens in life. Think about their health and shield them from unnecessary negative information. Let them mostly hear about your victories, rather than failures.
4. Don't get into conflict.
Do not argue and quarrel with your parents in their old age, you are unlikely to be able to convince them that you are right. It is better to let them understand it later, if they were wrong in some way.
Keep a good peaceful relationship with your parents is more important than to defend their truth, believe me. To avoid conflict, sometimes it's enough just to say nothing, or, after thanking your parents for the advice, to say that you heard them.
5. Forgive them.
Do not hold a grudge against your elderly parents, know how to forgive them. Many things parents do out of great love for their children, not realizing at times that in fact sometimes harm them.
You should not carry a grudge against your parents for years in your heart, and especially against elderly loved ones, whose life can be cut short unpredictably because of their age. If something is bothering you, try to talk to them calmly, telling them how you feel and not turning to rudeness.
6. Give positive emotions
When a person stops going out, life gets boring and monotonous. Joy disappears when there are no new, vibrant emotions. Elderly parents also need emotion, and you can help them with that.
Evoke a violent positive reaction in them by taking them to the theater, a park or a more extreme and memorable place. Give them a nice gift or flowers on a holiday or just for no reason. They will remember it for a long time, and you will have something to remember together.
Remember that despite frequent misunderstandings with elderly parents, they do not stop loving you, and you are still the same little boy or girl to them.
