Anonymous wrote:

Because the parents have pubes, so it's much more difficult to keep them clean. You try picking dried poop out of your MIL's butt pubes and let me know how you like it.

Not there yet, but you have given me something to look forward to. Thanks.

Bring on the death panels, for all of us!

Anonymous wrote:Why is it so hard for adult children to take care of a parent's personal grooming at the end of life- especially when we have done similar things for our children at the beginning of their lives?

Because babies weigh much less than we do while adults weight much more. You can physically overwhelm a baby, not so an adult that does not want to cooperate or is physically unable to do so.

Anonymous wrote:Why is it so hard for adult children to take care of a parent's personal grooming at the end of life- especially when we have done similar things for our children at the beginning of their lives?

As everyone else said, there is an emotional/cultural component that is different. Not to mention that you can't just hoist your 170 lb parent onto a changing table. And . . . the problem that of adding adult care to an already packed schedule of child care and work. Some families can do all the care for their aging relatives themselves. Mine cannot.