Mediate Michigan

When my 69-year-old mother-in-law was diagnosed with a rare brain disease last spring, the solution seemed obvious: She should come stay with my family in Tokyo. After all, nearly half the elderly in Japan live with their adult children.

My mother-in-law was a lifesaver when my daughter was born five years ago. She commuted an hour and a half from Yokohama, south of Tokyo, to pick her up from daycare twice a week. Without her help, I’m not sure how I would have been able to juggle motherhood and a demanding job as the Journal’s Tokyo bureau chief at the time.

Clearly, it was time to return the favor.

via How To Balance Caring for Aging Parents While Looking After Kids – The Juggle – WSJ.