I am 74 and my oldest of six children is 40 years younger than I. I have serious health problems requiring hospitalization, so there was no way to hide my aging from them. And I don't think I would have anyway. What I've notice is that, as my decline becomes more apparent, some of them pull away from me. I understand though it saddens me.

I also realize that even now, some 15 years after my father's death, that I still haven't really let myself feel the loss. I loved him too much,