My husband and I are in our mid/late 50’s. We have 2 children, a daughter aged 27 and a son aged 23. They both have disabilities. My daughter has digeorge syndrome (Inc heart defect, arthritis and thyroid problems) and my son has Asperger’s syndrome.
We are all very happy considering the difficult circumstances we are living in.
My daughter is emotionally very young for her age and is not interested in having a relationship because of this. My son would like a relationship but is too anxious to do anything about it at the moment.
I am aware that me and my husband aren’t getting any younger. I am starting to look at options for my daughter to live independently. She is intelligent and is currently studying for a masters degree but still gets overwhelmed by life and often needs a cuddle from me. She lived half an hour away from home during her time at university but had support and came home most weekends shattered.
I am torn! Part of me is saying that it is wrong to change things when my daughter is so happy and secure at home. Part of me is saying that she needs a gentle push. We are fortunate to be able to help her to get a flat and an ideal ground floor flat has come up for sale right next door to her cousin (Who is the same age) and her partner. It is only 5 minutes away from me. My daughter has said she would be interested but I get the feeling she thinks that’s what she should say. She has also said that she finds the thought scary. I suppose I am thinking “if not now, when?” But the one thing that keeps bothering me is that my daughter has repeatedly said in the past that she never wants to live alone. At university she lived is a shared house and was very close to her housemates. It’s at times like this that I miss my parents who passed away a few years ago. Has anybody any words of advice for me?
