Million Dollar Mattress

Older people have their quirks. Sometimes they like to hold onto old things for sentimental reasons. Often they are comfortable with what they have and simply don’t want something new. And, there may be other unknown reasons.

Their children decide that Mom or Dad should have something more modern and take it upon themselves to get rid of the old things and replace it with something new. They don’t even ask permission. They think they’re doing a good deed without any consideration for the feelings of the parent..

An Israeli woman decided to get rid of her mother’s old mattress and get her a new one. She sent the old mattress to the dump. What a surprise to learn that her mother had stuffed her life’s savings in the old mattress in the tune of a million dollars. I don’t feel sorry for the daughter but for the old lady whose life savings were simply thrown out.

Best to consider the feelings and wishes of the older folk before deciding what is best for them.

My children wouldn't dare do anything like that, except at our cabin. Whenever our daughter comes to the cabin, it is fun to come up and see what she has changed. Sometimes it is merely moving curtains from one room to another, rearranging furniture, or painting bear footprints around the ceiling in the bear room or bird prints in the bird room. (The themes of our guest rooms.)

But the big things in our life are ours. Our family has had to step in more in the last year than I wish they had to, but they are good people and did what needed, while respecting who we are. Their presence was often noted in my medical records and was as important as the medical care. But they know what is most important to us is for them to live their own lives, as we do ours.

Carol

I saw that story on the news and wondered if anyone ran out to the dump to look for the mattress before telling the press about it.

M

Malcolm,
I suspect it was discovered before it was dumped. No one is going to admit it.

... or it could be just a story. What better way to point out to your daughter that she had overstepped the mark than to say: "Your interference cost you a million bucks!"

Shelagh, they have been running that story on CNN and show the daughter and others tramping through the dump trying to locate the mattress. On the other hand, everyone may have been duped by the old lady as you suggest.

I can picture the mother making up the story and then laughing when she hears about them rummaging through the dump. "That'll teach 'em to mess with my stuff."

Dick,

I like your version the best!

Carol