Spare me.
I really should stop spending the night at my parents. I blame the fact that once in a while I don't get a headcold when I come here as the reason for my conditioned response. Variable re-inforcement is the hardest to break.
I tried taking some preventive vitamin therapy, but it has only given me a cramping stomach.
It doesn't help that Mom is being delusional this weekend. She's equating my baby sister's willingness to talk to one of our aunts by marriage as "being enamoured with her". I was accused of the same thing when another aunt by marriage was alive. Basically, if you aren't going to shun someone Mom doesn't like that means you like them more than her and are taking their side. I know my baby sister thinks this aunt is nuts too, she just doesn't see that as a reason not to talk to her. The reason she's not talking to Mom is because Mom is always being critical and bad-mouthing the aunt in an effort to conscript her to her campaign of ostracism. I don't like listening to the crap any more than my baby sister, but I have an easier time redirecting the conversation. Especially since it's usually in person and I can claim a reason to be physically somewhere else.
And then about 20 minutes ago, my brother called. He asked why people were still asleep at 1 pm here. I checked on the computer and found it before 11 am. When Mom came out, I told her that he said he needed to talk to her. I also mentioned that he must be slightly confused, because he thought it was after 1 pm and it wasn't. She told me that the computer clock must be wrong then. IF so, then the World Clock website is also off.
Anyway, turns out that my mother had to call back just so my brother could tell her he bought lots of lamps and he's going to buy a lawn mower.
And I've just been informed by my son that my dad expects me to get lunch for everyone. I don't mind doing it, but I wish my family of origin actually knew how to communicate with each other.
I tried taking some preventive vitamin therapy, but it has only given me a cramping stomach.
It doesn't help that Mom is being delusional this weekend. She's equating my baby sister's willingness to talk to one of our aunts by marriage as "being enamoured with her". I was accused of the same thing when another aunt by marriage was alive. Basically, if you aren't going to shun someone Mom doesn't like that means you like them more than her and are taking their side. I know my baby sister thinks this aunt is nuts too, she just doesn't see that as a reason not to talk to her. The reason she's not talking to Mom is because Mom is always being critical and bad-mouthing the aunt in an effort to conscript her to her campaign of ostracism. I don't like listening to the crap any more than my baby sister, but I have an easier time redirecting the conversation. Especially since it's usually in person and I can claim a reason to be physically somewhere else.
And then about 20 minutes ago, my brother called. He asked why people were still asleep at 1 pm here. I checked on the computer and found it before 11 am. When Mom came out, I told her that he said he needed to talk to her. I also mentioned that he must be slightly confused, because he thought it was after 1 pm and it wasn't. She told me that the computer clock must be wrong then. IF so, then the World Clock website is also off.
Anyway, turns out that my mother had to call back just so my brother could tell her he bought lots of lamps and he's going to buy a lawn mower.
And I've just been informed by my son that my dad expects me to get lunch for everyone. I don't mind doing it, but I wish my family of origin actually knew how to communicate with each other.