Mum is convinced that if she was just given the chance she would be fine driving. Forget that every doctor she sees recommends she doesn't drive, forget her license has expired, she would still be a good driver if given the chance.
Firstly, she was never a good driver, she was an okay driver, but never good. She drove a big arsed station wagon without power steering up and down the mountains, but that doesn't make her a good driver. She knew the road rules and was competent, but looking at every car she's had and all the scratches and dings on them, yeh, not so good. I remember before she was diagnosed finding a ding in the back bumper and asking her about it,
"Mum, how did this happen?"
"Oh, I reversed into my trolley."
"Ummm, how can you reverse into your own trolley? Didn't you just put it back in the trolley return, couldn't you see it in the rear vision mirror?"
"I forgot to return it, and didn't notice it in the mirror. Actually I might not of checked I can't remember."
Yep, there's those good driving skills mum. Oh and lets not forget the time she was dropping off me and Dale. I was standing there talking to her through the window, and Dale was getting out of the back, hadn't even shut the door, and she goes bye and starts to drive off, stopping suddenly on Dales foot. Luckily he wasn't hurt, and all she said was oh I thought the door was shut, then she drove off LOL.
The number of bushes and trees that have scrapped along the side of her cars, and the fact she never remembers it happening, are signs that maybe she shouldn't be behind the wheel. But the only damage she did, apart from Dales foot LOL, was to her own car, so we sucked it up. Because she's 80 she has to go for a test, but her doctor won't fill out the form for her so her license expired. She'll jokingly say she still has a car key so she might just take off one day, which of course won't happen because she'd have to walk to my place to get the car lol.
So, driving to Penrith on Saturday because I wanted to get my haircut and was taking Mum shopping, she loves to go to Penrith, no idea why, it's crowded and people are fuckwits. Anyway we get to the bottom of Old Bathurst Rd where it joins the Highway and she goes,
"Hahaha, did you see that, those cars are going through a red light."
"What red light mum? The arrow to turn left is green, the light to go right is red."
"Oh, isn't it illegal if one of the lights is red?"
"No mum, it isn't"
I distracted her from her musings by pointing out the beautiful jacarandas near the river, they look absolutely gorgeous. We drive on and get to the Mulgoa Rd lights and she goes.
"Why aren't those cars stopping? We have a red light."
"Geez mum I sure am glad you're not driving. Those cars are moving because they have a green arrow, you're right we have a red light so we aren't moving."
And she wonders why we don't want her driving lol.
It must be hard not to be behind the wheel, I'm sure she misses the freedom, I know that I love driving, not sure what I'd do if I couldn't drive. But safer for the rest of Australia if we don't let her drive, you can all thank me later LOL.
Sunday she called me and wanted to know when we were going shopping again.
"Mum, we went shopping yesterday."
"Are you sure, I need so many things so I don't think we did."
"Mum I'm the one without alzheimers remember?"
"Oh, yeh that's right. Okay so when are we going shopping again?"
The only way to deal is to laugh, probably why I post so much on my blog LOL. People always say laughter is the best medicine, in my eyes if we don't laugh we'll shoot ourselves, so laughter it is.
Catch yas
Cathy
