What Are Ruby Dee & Ossie Davis Doing in My House?
My name is Leighann Lord and I am a standup comedian, author, keynote speaker, and daughter. That last title has started becoming more important recently.
For years I traveled around the country and around the world living my dream as a working stand-up comic. Home was the place I went to do my laundry and write jokes.
Well, a few years ago circumstances began changing. Essentially, I came off the road; went home and instead of finding my parents I found two old people. I was like, “ Oh my god, what are Ruby Dee and Ozzie Davis doing in my house?”
I know it sounds crazy but I just never expected this. I never expected my Parents to get old. I actually want to write an adult children’s book: Where Do Old People Come From and Why Do They Smell Like That?
What I really never expected was for them to need me. I don’t have children so I’m not used to being needed. I feel like I’m just getting the hang of looking after myself. So there’s this creeping role reversal thing happening that I feel completely blindsided by and totally unprepared for. I know this isn’t a unique experience but it’s new for me.
By the way, I’m not my Parents only child but I am the only one they like and so… Here I am. I’m having conversations I’m uncomfortable having, I’m seeing things I never thought I’d be seeing, smelling things I shouldn’t be smelling and steadily moving from daughter with a lowercase “d” to Daughter with a capital “D.”
It’s scary, exhausting, enlightening, funny, and it’s driving me crazy! What’s really insane is that the relationship we have with our parents is probably the most complicated one we have and yet no one ever talks about how to navigate it, especially when our parents get old.
And so that’s why I created the People with Parents Podcast. It’s where I want to talk about, figure out, and laugh about our Parent Problems. I do that by sharing stories about my Old Folks, my Senior Citizen toddlers. I plan to interview some famous people — and some not so famous — to find out how they’re dealing; or not dealing. I’ll talk to a professional every now and then to get some guidance on how to do this part of the journey. But most importantly I want to talk with you because I feel like now more than ever, with people living longer and doctors curing less, it’s important to know we’re not alone in this; That I’m not alone.
So, if you’ve been blindsided like me, if you’re in the thick of it, if you’ve been there done that, I want to hear from you. And maybe together we can get through this with love, laughter, comedy, candor, and support. And by support I mean liberal amounts of Wine with a capital W.
The People with Parents podcast is lived, written, and produced by Leighann Lord. It lives on Libsyn and can be heard on iTunes, Stitcher, and Google Play. You can follow on Facebook and like on Twitter at @PwParents. For more information visit PeoplewithParents.com.
