Mom does not drive. She probably could drive if she needed to, the state of Texas says she can see well enough to drive, but she does not choose to, and I'm fine with that. Not that she ever scared me in the car the way others have done. After Dad passed away, she chose to move in with us. At the time, it seemed like the best decision. We could not see her maintaining the property that that her and Dad owned in Naples by herself, and we could not mover there to help.
At the time, she had just had eye surgery to remove cataracts and to have implant lens put in. I could not believe how bad her eyesight had become. She had a difficult time reading the menu board at a fast food restaurant. So she moved in with us. I think it was the most difficult thing she ever had to do.
About a year later, she went back to the eye doctor. She was noticing that she could see better without her glasses on than she could with them. Turns out they had given her the wrong prescription! All of the sudden she could see again. Of course that made me wonder if she still wanted to live with us. It was difficult for her, the military would not give us larger quarters because she was not a dependent, we were already 2 years into a 3 year commitment there, so we did not want to move off post (plus the schools were better on post). So she wound up sharing a room with the girls. Granted it was a large room, but still, having to deal with all their crap and sharing space with a 5&7 year old could not have been easy. She still felt it was best for her.
We built the house here, and made sure that she had her own master suite with a walk in shower and large enough for a sitting area. While she does not drive, she helps me out immensely. I don't think I could make it through Scott being gone right now without her here. I am not sure that the kids even realize how much her being here has benefited them. I would not be able to do nearly as much with them and for them if she was not here. Knowing she is here with any left behind children when I am out with one or more, her being here while I work or volunteer makes it possible. Plus she has taken it upon herself to help with teaching the girls to cook. Good thing, because seeing the kids with sharp knives was too much for Scott and me!
Once a month, I take her to her Genealogy meeting, which coincides with Boy Scouts and Honor Choir. It makes for a difficult night of driving, but it is worth it to me to give her back just a little of what she gives to the family. Don't get me wrong, I do let her out of the house more than just that, but all the other things are a piece of cake! I put a bracket around my plates that say Driving Ms Daisy. She had definitely been a positive addition to our household!
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