Mirrors and reflections became a source of humor and concern.

Mom would greet the friendly older lady in the mirror and have a short visit with her.  She would tell me what a warm smile she has.  It made me feel good that she was not critical about what she looked like and still recognized the warmth in her personality if not the person.  I would be looking over Mom’s shoulder but she was focused on the nice older lady.

Sometimes I thought Mom was making a joke and knew this reflection was herself but I have read too many other stories about this behavior to believe that.  One time she lifted a heavy mirror of the wall and carried it into the living room to show us her new friend.  Yikes!  We all jumped before something happened.  Changes needed to be made.

We covered some mirrors with posters, colored wrapping paper, and scarves.  The bathroom mirror was of real concern as Mom did not like being ‘watched’ in the bathroom.  This I covered with semi-transparent sticky paper with a frosted design.  Worked great and looked good.  Curtains were drawn at night when to cover reflections.

It was sometimes difficult on an outing when Mom would stop to chat with her reflection but at least she liked herself! I am not as confident I would enjoy a conversation with my reflection.

The other benefit of having no mirrors in the house was I never looked better.  The easiest way to remove wrinkles and lines is to take the mirrors away!  This was the house I grew up in so it was easy to pretend I still had the smooth skin of a fifteen year old. The truth is not always kind or necessary.