Over the next few weeks...
…you’ll see me talkin’ up a storm on a special kinda soup that’s close to my heart and at the centre of my DNA.
Here’s an extract from said, ‘storm’ and my soon-to-be-published op-ed…
“I scoff at the term, Sandwich Generation*.
When I think of sandwiches, I imagine high tea at the Ritz with sliced cucumbers and tiny cupcakes. I understand the reason behind this descriptor but I gotta say, combining the care of an elderly parent with teenage-boy-rearing never feels like a sandwich, it’s a soup; an often unpalatable, chunky, messy soup.
I juggle work, a radio-hosting role, freelance speaking, writing and film gigs plus the co-parenting of my beautiful 15 and 18-year-old sons. And since my beloved father passed in 2011, I’ve also taken up the mantle of being my 94-year-old mother’s primary caregiver.
A typical hour in my day goes something like this… FaceTime calls from Mum complaining about an ache or relative, reminders for me to eat, check up on her meds delivery, make a haircut appointment, helping my 15-year-old with a 1,800 word essay due yesterday, Googling how to parent 18-year-olds in challenging relationships, texting my boys’ father (insert urgent adulting to-do here)… rushing to get off Mum’s call for a Teams meeting with colleagues dealing with dumb clients and deadlines.
Ya, still with me?!”
I shared this today because my ‘Soup’ has been a tad (a lot) overwhelming lately which rendered my writer’s voice (temporarily) mute.
Until next week…
* Middle-aged adults who care for both ageing parents and their own children.
© Phyllis Foundis 2025