I'm driving now

On "role reversal" with our parents and the fine line between helping and mothering.

This comes to you via hotel wifi in the town of West Yellowstone, MT. Mom and I are currently on the second of two mother-daughter road trips. We’re out here to visit Mom’s old friend in Salt Lake City, but while we’re in the neighborhood, we decided to spend a few days in Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks.

(To my Mom, anything under 500 miles qualifies as “in the neighborhood.”)

I’m doing all the driving. Mom loves — and I mean loves — long-distance driving and drives well, but she gets tired easily now. My driving was a non-negotiable when we started talking about these trips. She was furious about my insistence and tried to put her foot down, like when I was a kid. But on this matter, I wouldn’t budge.

I hated having to pull rank on my Mom. Even now I’m a listen-to-your-parents “good girl,” and she’s always had strong opinions. Saying no feels like breaking the One Rule to Rule Them All. But that’s part of growing up, isn’t it? Stepping up to adulthood, making hard decisions…