When a parent has PD, the tendency can be for kids to help out more with things their parents can no longer do. When Michelle L.’s husband is out of town, her older son helps tie his little sister’s shoes and button her shirt, and he feels good about helping. The children are definitely learning inde- pendence. “They love that they get to cook certain things, and sometimes even fight over who gets to do the dishes,” she says. Jaci has seen changes in her children. “My daughter has definitely gotten more independent. She does a lot around the house that she wouldn’t have had to, and I think it has.
