A good friend's husband has had a chronic illness for more than 30 years, which has progressively robbed him of his ability to walk, made his hands clumsy and his speech slurred.
His beloved grandson accepted his condition uncritically when he was younger, and they would play happily together and look at books and so on. But now that he is 7 he notices that Gdad is different, and resents it when he cannot do things, and Gdad's patience wears thin easily when GS gets difficult.
The other day GSs mother was taking him to task about his attitude, and GS replied "God did not make him properly" which really disturbed his mother and grandmother, who are regular church-goers.
He has never known him except in his present condition. I have suggested to my friend that they get out old photos of Gdad as a fine fit young man and talk about the days before he got ill, and how his own children were upset when he could no longer do things with them, and had become bad-tempered because he was ill.
Does anyone else have any suggestions for them? The relationship was so good, but has started to go downhill.
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