I really have no idea what to do with my mother.
Just got done with a five day visit here. All I got were comments about how I'm not married yet, how she can't smoke in my apartment, why the cat can't play on the porch (he'll get confused and run away scared), and a constant complaint about everything that happens to her.
She's a huge Denver fan, so we got very good seats to the Packers/Broncos game. The entire way there was a rant about how I was wearing a Rodgers jersey and I was a "traitor", then during the game, it was complaints about the fans who were looking at her (well, duh, you're wearing Broncos gear).
So much negativity to deal with, which is hard for me since I let nearly everything roll off of me. In general, I can't stand negative people, and it's hard when that's where I came from. I have no idea how to deal with it long-term, either. Do I just call her once a week and listen to her complain about stuff for a half-hour? It's been brought up to her before, and it goes into a self-loathing rant into how her life is awful.
She doesn't seem to get that her life is awful because she makes it that way.
I have no need for an actual response on this, but needed this rant time. Thanks.
There's no shame in distancing yourself from negativity, even when it's family. I went from calling my dad once a week, to maybe once a month. No, I don't want to hear about your phantom health problems
No, I don't want to hear how your doctor is trying to kill you
No, I don't want to hear (in graphic detail) how you're going to kill him
No, I don't want to hear what a great father you were (FYI- you weren't)
No, I don't want to hear about the stupid boat you have been working on for 10 years and never sailed
No, I don't want to hear about how you're supposedly banging your 20-something cleaning lady
Talk to you next month, Dad...