Kenny and I took Edie out to brunch every Saturday and Sunday. We came back from one of our weekend brunches and decided it was time to talk about a medical alarm system. I started the conversation (for some reason the daughter-in-law is always the bad guy), and said, "Edie do you remember the little button Sam wore around his neck in case he had a fall or an emergency? She looked at me with such a face, and then she said "I don't need that yet!" Oh, here we go again. Kenny and I had heard all this before with both my mother and his father. There's just something about introducing a medical alarm system for the first time. I guess our parents feel it makes them seem old, and not able to take care of themselves. It seems hard to convince a loved one that a medical alarm will help them stay living independently longer, and that it gives us peace of mind. I told Edie it was just another way to reach Kenny or me if she couldn't get to a phone for help. She already knew, but she had done this for her husband Sam who was really sick. This was different, now it was about her. She said we could talk about it again later, but to let it go for now. Why are parents so stubborn? Don't they know we are doing this for their own good, and for ourselves. We'll just have to wait for the opportunity to bring up this conversation again with Edie another time. What next? | 
