windows & doors

yesterday, while watching tv after my run, mum asked me what happened to the kitchen window glass panes cos she noticed they had been removed. (i removed them last year and she only noticed it now!) i told her i had removed them as i had had installed windows for the utility room and hence there is no more need for the kitchen to have window panes. from her gestures, i knew she didn't quite agree but she kept quiet about it.

and since we were at the topics of windows, and i took the opportunity to ask her why she has the habit of checking on all the doors and windows after i retire to bed. and this was despite the fact that i had ensured all windows and doors were locked before i retire nightly. and she replied: "ah gong (her dad aka my grandpa) used to tell me that before i sleep i must check to ensure all doors and windows are locked after mama (my grandma, her mother) has retired to bed"... and added that "that is why i need to check every night".

amused, i reminded her that ah gong had told her to do so in her capacity as a daughter. and that it is the responsibility of the daughter to ensure the house is properly secured after her mother has gone to bed. but now, she must remember that her role is no longer that of a daughter but a mother. therefore, the person that should be checking should be me and not her. her 'responsibility" now is to simply go to bed and sleep. after my explanation, she kept quiet for a moment, and then she let out a laugh, oh ya hor... she said.

tell you... despite the many heartaches of looking after an elderly with dementia, there are always amusing moments when you probe further into the logic of why they do certain things. and this was one of them. anyway, she has been relatively stable these last 2 weeks. i supposed the lunar new year period and the visitations have kept her mind relatively busy.

:-)