Facing the Challenges of the Sandwich Generation with Jenny Hutt
Are you smack dab in the middle of the Sandwich Years? That precarious time where you’re squeezed between the demands of caring for aging parents and still supporting children? We’re here for you, and we’ve got a friend to the show who is living it out in real time, sharing how she’s getting through it all. Jenny Hutt was the host of the Just Jenny Show on Sirius XM and is now hosting her own daily podcast–all while dealing with the long-term care of her father (and his recent death) and the launching of her adult children out into the world. Jenny and Jen discuss unique issues relevant to the Sandwich Generation:
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Learning to re-calibrate your role as a parent in the lives of your newly “launched into the world” kids
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Dealing with unresolved parent/child issues that sometimes arise with the death of a parent
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Recognizing generational anxiety and equipping ourselves and our children with the tools to handle it
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The importance of relying on a strong network of family and friends to draw from during this time (not being afraid to ask for help).
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Having the hard conversations with your parents about being prepared for their passing (and also making sure you’re taking care of that for your children too)
So whether you’re managing being part of the sandwich generation right now, or you’re mentally preparing yourself for it, or you know someone who is facing it head on, there’s something for all of us to take away from this candid and vulnerable convo with Jen and Jenny.
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Thought-Provoking Quotes
“Somebody should have said to us before we had kidS: ‘you're gonna have children and you're gonna be tired and it's gonna be fun when they're babies, but it's also gonna be awful when they're babies. And then, they're gonna grow up and they're gonna leave you. And when they leave you, you're gonna feel like they're gone for good. And you're also gonna feel like you are not gonna make it.’” - Jenny Hutt
“While your parents are still healthy is when you have to have the conversation [about their affairs] and it's pretty simple. It's things like if there are bank accounts, designate somebody to automatically have the bank account upon your death.” - Jenny Hutt
“Ask [your older parents] all the questions you want answers to, because if you don't ask them now, as uncomfortable as they might be, you're never gonna be able to ask them.” - Jenny Hutt
“We all find our purpose at different points in our lives. I think that one of my biggest purposes is to show that you can live through things that feel like you can't live through them.” - Jenny Hutt
Guest’s Links
Website
Resources Mentioned in This Episode
For You When I Am Gone by Rabbi Steve Leder
Connect with Jen!
Jen’s website