For Vanessa Hua, Moving In With Her Mom Wasn’t Just A Necessity: It Was A Chance For Deeper Relationships.
THE DINING ROOM REEKED of dead flowers, of pond scum and festering. A few weeks after my father’s funeral, I’d returned to my childhood home and discovered withered petals heaped around floral arrangements, their stems gray with mold, in vases long gone dry.
Gagging, I shoved it all into the green waste bin. Our family had held off from cleaning up, not certain if my then-74- year-old mother was ready. As I slammed down the lid, I thought about the help she would need, not only in her mourning but in the life she would make without my father.
Who would move the heavy bins down the steep driveway to the curb each week? Who would keep the house from feeling too empty? Independent as my mother was—she was a research scientist who still headed her own lab—who would watch out for her?
I scrubbed the vases until they sparkled. Upstairs, my mother puttered in her room. I glanced around the kitchen, trying to picture living here with her, my husband, and my twin sons, who were under a year old. She never asked outright for her children to return to the woodsy San Francisco suburbs, but we were supposed to understand these expectations without explanation. She and my father had sacrificed for me and my siblings, and just as they’d had a duty to us, we had a duty to them.
My brother had been telecommuting, helping sort out the estate, and was prepared to make the move permanent. But he was single, and living with our mother would crimp his dating prospects. My husband and I had wanted to return to the Bay Area from suburban Los Angeles, and by moving in with my mother, my sons could deepen their relationship with her—a bond that seemed even more important after my father’s passing.
この記事は Real Simple の February 2019 版に掲載されています。
7 日間の Magzter GOLD 無料トライアルを開始して、何千もの厳選されたプレミアム ストーリー、8,500 以上の雑誌や新聞にアクセスしてください。
すでに購読者です ? サインイン
この記事は Real Simple の February 2019 版に掲載されています。
7 日間の Magzter GOLD 無料トライアルを開始して、何千もの厳選されたプレミアム ストーリー、8,500 以上の雑誌や新聞にアクセスしてください。
すでに購読者です? サインイン
what to COOK
RECIPES FOR REAL LIFE
THE BEST
Sometimes it's not enough for our editors to be instantly impressed by a product. Sometimes we want to push it to the limits in one of our three labs, our own homes, or both to see how it holds up under pressure. We cook, we wear, we smear, we clean. We evaluate and tally. Then we give out the REAL SIMPLE Selects seal. When we put that label on something, that means it's among the 5,200-plus products we've formally evaluated according to strict protocols. On this list: some of our current faves. If you see something you like, scan the QR code and get shopping!
Women & Their Finances
We partnered with the brilliant minds at the finance site Investopedia to determine what’s holding women back in the money department. The findings? We’re on our way! But we’ve got some work to do.
MAKE YOUR JEWELRY SHINE
A treasure trove of tips to get your sparkly things ready for primetime
BLUEBERRY SWEET CORN SHORTCAKE
Two of summer's best ingredients come together in an epic dessert just begging to be invited to a party.
Modern Manners Advice for Your Social Quandaries
My husband's niece is getting married in eight months. The save-the-date only had my husband's name, my name, and my husband's two kids' names (my stepkids).
5 JUNETEENTH CELEBRATIONS
Plan a seriously fun!) trip that’s rooted in history.
how we live
ADVICE, INSPIRATION A LITTLE PEACE OF MIND
design rules you should definitely break
When it comes to expressing yourself at home, sometimes it's best to ignore the \"supposed tos\" and do your own darn thing instead. As proof, we offer these rule-breaking rooms from six of our favorite designers.
THE BRIGHTEST
On this list, you'll find the people, products, and ideas that light up our world, show us the way, and change the game.