So This Is the Sandwich Generation

I should start by saying: my parents are nowhere near "old." They had me when they were 20, so if you do the math, they're barely old enough to be grandparents — and yet they have five grandkids under the age of seven. 

But last week, my dad had a pretty intense back surgery, followed by a whole slew of complications, and needless to say, I now completely understand, deep in my soul, why someone coined millennials "the sandwich generation." 

Taking care of aging parents and little kids at the same time is not for the weak.

No one prepares you to see your dad, usually the most animated person in any room, pretty much completely out of commission. I brought my two older kids over to my parents' house for lunch, trying to keep things calm and quiet. He was resting on the couch in a neck brace. On two separate occasions, a different child tried to scale the couch directly behind him. All I could do was shake my head, and physically remove them from his vicinity, one at a time, like a very tired bouncer. 

Not to mention it's Maycember: the term for how May is basically the new December if you have school-aged kids — end-of-year performances, teacher appreciation, sports finals, all arriving at once, without the twinkle lights or the eggnog to soften the blow. @themillennialsandwich on Instagram gets it.

Thankfully, my dad is most likely going to be fine. But to anyone dealing with a family health crisis while also juggling small children at home, I see you.

May the odds be ever in your favor.