In recent years, my mother-in-law began showing signs of memory loss.

— Once she got lost and cried in a park until midnight.
— Once, while eating, she suddenly looked up and asked:
“Who are you?”
— Sometimes she called me by the name of her late husband’s wife.

We took her to the doctor.

The doctor said gently:

“Early-stage Alzheimer’s.”

But we never imagined she would wander the house at night.

And we never imagined that…

She would end up in her granddaughter’s bed.

When the adults finally woke up

The next morning, I showed Daniel the camera footage.

He stayed silent for a long time.

Then he broke down.

“She must remember the days when I was little…”

Daniel squeezed my hand.

“It’s my fault. I’ve been so focused on work that I forgot my mother is slowly losing herself.”

Emily slept with us the following nights.

And my mother-in-law…

We didn’t blame her.

We loved her more than ever.

A decision that changed everything

We decided to:

— Gently close Emily’s bedroom door at night
— Install motion sensors throughout the house
— And most importantly: never let my mother-in-law sleep alone again

Every night I sat with her. Talked to her. Listened to her memories. Helped her feel safe.

Because sometimes, elderly people don’t need medication.

They need to know they still have a family.

END

My daughter’s bed was never too small.

What was really happening was that an elderly woman—alone, lost inside her own memories—

was searching for the warmth of a child she once held close for an entire lifetime.