Aging is a natural part of life and something that intrigues my 5 year old daughter. She got a blast out of the Aging Booth app I used to give her an idea of what she might look like when she's older. That led to numerous questions about what will be different for her when she's older. She was surprised to hear that many things would be the same.
Care ProvidersMy daughter is all too familiar with the fact that my wife and I are here to take care of her while she's young. As a matter of fact, I have been called into her room twice since I started this post to answer the nightly questions she asks to put off actually going to bed. There's a sense of comfort knowing someone who cares about you is looking after you. That will be the same when she's on the other end of the age spectrum. A common difference at that later date is that it's often the kids who are now taking care of the parents.
Diapers
There is a book out there called "Everybody Poops" that I think could use an update to include the later years in life. By design, it is intended to take the mystery (and some of the silliness) out of the required digestive system process. She found it interesting that just as she started her life wearing diapers, there is a good chance she will be wearing them again one day when she's older. I guess it's a good thing she's already potty trained or else this piece of information may have had her giving up on that step and wanting to just keep diapers forever.
Mobility
Every so often she asks to be pushed in a stroller when we're out on a family walk. We obviously don't allow that because she's too big for a stroller and we don't feel like wheeling her around even if she did fit in a stroller. She was excited to learn that the possibility of a wheelchair may be in her future. Wanting to be pushed around by others is usually because she feels she's too tired to walk under her own power. In her mind, she'll probably be very tired after all those years and therefore ready for a wheelchair.
Living Arrangements
It finally occurred to my daughter the other day that she won't be living in our house with us forever. Her life started in a nursery in our home and may very well end up in a nursing home or one of her kids' homes. Either way she looks at it, there will be someone around to help care for her in her later years as well.
Knowledge Base
Learning is a wonderful thing. Anyone who has kids will tell you that once they learn how to talk, they never stop asking questions. As she was trying to wrap her mind around how many things she will know after that many years of getting answers to her questions, I burst her bubble. I explained that as you get older, it's quite common to start forgetting almost as much as you learn. That was a head scratcher for her that she needs to ponder a little bit more.
All in all, she feels she's ready for old age. I told her she should maybe focus more on starting kindergarten next week. We can worry about old age at a later date. There's plenty of time for that. Until next time....
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