Rachel Kiser
Blogger | Mom of Two

I’ve said it so many times since having children of my own: I totally understand why parents of adult children still call them their “babies”. It’s impossible to forget all that you’ve done to care for them throughout their lives. I think I’ll always see my kids that way: as my babies.

Nothing proves a mother’s love and care more than the story of 98-year-old Ada Keating from Liverpool, who recently moved into an assisted living facility with her 80-year-old son, Tom. Tom was having trouble caring for himself, so eventually the decision was made to enter into the facility. His mother was having none of it, though; or at least, the part about him being there alone.

So she went with him.

“I say goodnight to Tom in his room every night and I’ll go and say good morning to him,” Ada, a former  nurse, said. “When I go out to the hairdressers he’ll look for me to see when I’m coming back. When I get back he’ll come to me with his arms outstretched and give me a big hug.”

And one of the most heartwarming things? Tom seems pretty pleased with the arrangement, too. “[Things are] very good here and I’m happy to see my mum more now she lives here. She’s very good at looking after me. Sometimes she’ll say ‘Behave yourself!’” This should give us all hope that our children will always want us to be their mamas. 

In a time where many nursing home residents are paid very few, or no visits, at all, it’s such a heartwarming thing to hear about family members sticking by one another, regardless of the backdrop. Because I’m a mother myself, I can say with all honesty there is nothing I wouldn’t do to make sure my children were well, so this story makes so much sense to me.

Ada summed it up so well with this statement: “You never stop being a mum!”

About Rachel Kiser

Rachel is a wife and mother living in Raleigh, North Carolina. She’s a fan of good coffee, wearer of gray t-shirts, and is constantly starting books she will never finish. Her family is her joy, and she loves to engage with other moms and dads on matters of parenting. Her blog posts have also been featured on the Today Show Parenting Blog and Scary Mommy.

View all posts by Rachel Kiser here.