a caregiver's dilemma
Anonymous Starry Star #115 · General Confessions
so i'm like 56 and this chick who was my student back in the day got diagnosed with ms a few years ago. she asked me to look after her, you know, cuz we were kinda close or something. anyway, long story short, now i'm basically taking care of her every single day. it's not really about the physical stuff though - i mean, there's definitely some of that happening but it's more like this emotional bond we have. and yeah, she likes to pretend i'm her father figure or somethin'. but here's where it gets tricky: sometimes she'll act real young, like a kid who needs me to take care of them. i never said no because... well... it felt right at the time. and now? well, now we're kinda in this weird dynamic that feels both super intimate and really confusing all at once. am i supposed to be her father or her boyfriend or something else entirely? and what about these urges i've got - like when she asks me to discipline her or treat her like a little girl who needs correction. it's intense and i feel kinda dirty but... also kinda turned on by it all. so here's my question: is this normal? am i the asshole for not just walking away? or should i try and figure out what we both really want from each other?