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Posted: Thu Oct 01, 2015 12:06 pm
by Leisher
"SERENITY NOW" is a household joke around here, but really, SERENITY NOW means you are feeling the stress, and swallowing it.
I know. Remember what Lyodd Braun said? "Serenity now. Insanity later."
Posted: Thu Oct 01, 2015 12:09 pm
by GORDON
"I don't give a fuck!" might end up being my new personal life motto.
Posted: Thu Oct 01, 2015 12:47 pm
by TPRJones
You, sir, are a saint.
Reading about you and your MIL is like a catalog of why I was so relieved when my mother died.
Because I am not a saint.
Posted: Thu Oct 01, 2015 1:53 pm
by TheCatt
GORDON wrote:So we get her this half gallon and Dawn says to her, "Don't eat it all in 3 days." Her Mom gets all loud and screechy, "I am not going to eat it in 3 days, I don't know why you say these things to me. God, I don't even know why you think...." etc etc etc, on and on and on. Just all loud and wounded and put-upon.
She ate it all in 2 days.
Well, she wasn't wrong.
Posted: Thu Oct 01, 2015 3:04 pm
by GORDON
TheCatt wrote:GORDON wrote:So we get her this half gallon and Dawn says to her, "Don't eat it all in 3 days." Her Mom gets all loud and screechy, "I am not going to eat it in 3 days, I don't know why you say these things to me. God, I don't even know why you think...." etc etc etc, on and on and on. Just all loud and wounded and put-upon.
She ate it all in 2 days.
Well, she wasn't wrong.
"Mom, you ate all your ice cream already."
"No. Well I don't remember eating it all."
I get that dementia is a thing, but bullshit.
Posted: Thu Oct 01, 2015 4:01 pm
by Stranger
Gordon, has she been diagnosed with dementia/Alzheimer's? Because it really sounds like she has some of the symptoms my grandmother had. She could get really mean to my grandfather at times and other times it was just like she was a kid and would mumble random stuff and do really odd things.
She had it for about the last 5 years of her life and I can tell you personally it just gets worse. At the end it was really tragic to see what she had become. I can only hope that she doesn't have the same thing because it is hardest on the ones who love and have to take care of that person, really hard. My mother was a complete wreck from having to take care of her.
Posted: Thu Oct 01, 2015 4:01 pm
by TheCatt
Well, maybe she really doesn't remember. Time to setup cameras around the house, with newspaper headlines/dates,
Posted: Thu Oct 01, 2015 4:04 pm
by Malcolm
TheCatt wrote:Well, maybe she really doesn't remember. Time to setup cameras around the house, with newspaper headlines/dates,
You think logic and proof are going to work? Have her take one of these to gauge her level of insanity.
Edited By Malcolm on 1443730352
Posted: Thu Oct 01, 2015 6:06 pm
by GORDON
I'm almost certain she has the beginnings of dementia. The last couple years her son, who lived with her, wasn't monitoring her meds or her diet, and it's been sugar city. When she started going off-the-rails crazy early this year, because she wasn't taking care of herself, we took her car away, so then someone had to step up.
But the thing is, even 20 years ago I saw that she was kind of a shitty person... very selfish and a user, as in she used people. So now she is just helpless and regressing to her childhood as a shitty person and a user. I have a line I am not going to cross, she wont be here forever, one way or another.
But that's ok. My son is learning compassion from the best.
Edited By GORDON on 1443737208
Posted: Thu Oct 01, 2015 6:34 pm
by thibodeaux
I don't know if I posted this already but: they think now that alzheimers and diabetes are related. Like, that alzheimers almost a Type III diabetes
Posted: Thu Oct 01, 2015 6:44 pm
by Malcolm
thibodeaux wrote:I don't know if I posted this already but: they think now that alzheimers and diabetes are related. Like, that alzheimers almost a Type III diabetes
Entirely possible given the response of it to diabetes meds. On the flip side, lots of things can cause dementia and lots of people are diabetic.
Posted: Thu Oct 01, 2015 8:13 pm
by GORDON
So tonight's Crazy MIL Post is about cats. She has a 3 year old cat, and she has already made more than one serious life decision because of it... the biggest one being that no, she can't move into that nice nursing home, because they don't allow cats. And besides, "My kids are supposed to take care of me, anyway."
Ahem.
And at first we had nothing but problems with this cat because it hadn't been trained properly. We've never fed our cats people food, or fed them from any type of tables during a meal time, because we don't want them begging and expecting food to be handed out. This cat of hers would jump on kitchen counters to get at food, the kitchen table during dinner to get at food, and TV trays in front of the TV... to get at food. And we would yell at this cat and give her a swat in order to teach it, during which time the MIL would go apeshit, screeching "DON'T BEAT MY CAT," and, "I DON'T KNOW WHY SHE DOES THAT, SHE NEVER DID IT AT MY HOUSE. JUST GIVE HER A LITTLE PAT ON THE BOTTOM."
Uh huh.
We've pretty much got her cat fixed from jumping on tables, now.
So recently my son got his first real pet, a kitten. A very rambunctious kitten. And for about a week, the MIL's cat wanted nothing to do with the kitten... it was growling and hissing and big fluffy tails. But lately the older cat is mellowing out, and now the house is often full of the sounds of two cats roughhousing.
Which my MIL cannot stand.... I suspect because she can't stand anyone of anything enjoying her little baby.
The other day I am preparing the usual 2 different meals for dinner.... my son is picky so I usually plan around him, and usually Dawn and I will eat what he eats. My MIL is even pickier and usually won't eat what we are eating, because it contains cheese or a slight seasoning she of which she doesn't approve, or is too ethnic (no mexican or chinese for her, nosir), or has flavor. And in this whirlwind of activity, the MIL is screaming at the kitten, nonstop:
ARCHER (the kitten), STOP JUMPING ON CLARA (the older cat). ARCHER. ARCHER. STOP THAT. ARCHER, CLARA DOESN'T LIKE THAT. ARCHER, STOP IT. YOU ARE BEING A BAD KITTY ARCHER. ARCHER, LEAVE CLARA ALONE NOW. CLARA, JUST RUN AWAY FROM ARCHER. ARCHER, STOP ATTACKING CLARA. WHY ARE YOU DOING THAT ARCHER. ARCHER STOP CLAWING AT CLARA. ARCHER. And this entire time the kitten and the mature female cat are just running around playing, as cats do.
I had a moment of I AM GOING INSANE and I said to her, "Carol, first of all, they are just playing. Secondly, they can't speak english and you trying to explain things to them is never, ever going to work. Just leave them alone."
She said, "Well Clara understands what I say to her."
Me, "No she doesn't. She understands food and sleep and using the litter-box and getting you to pet off her excess fur. She doesn't care about much else."
MIL: Yes she does. She understands me.
Me: No, she doesn't. Cat's don't speak english.
MIL: Yes they do.
Me...... I suddenly realize I was having a debate about cats with a crazy cat lady. Joke's on me, I suppose.
Anyway, she ends up shutting her cat in her room to protect her from the rabid kitten. After that they were batting at each others' paws through the crack under the door.
+++
She often feeds her own cat fritos, when she eats them.
About two weeks ago she was caught eating cereal in the chair in her room using a TV tray, and she was holding the new kitten on her lap, letting him lap at the milk in her cereal bowl while she petted him. Dawn walks in on her, startles her, and she asks "Is this ok?"
Yeah, it is a real mystery why her cat didn't understand boundaries.
+++++
Tomorrow's story will be about the importance of sleeping schedules.
Edited By GORDON on 1443744850
Posted: Thu Oct 01, 2015 9:32 pm
by Malcolm
Uh, don't let her give cats cow milk. Ever.
Posted: Thu Oct 01, 2015 9:57 pm
by GORDON
She would deny doing so until her dying breath.
Posted: Thu Oct 01, 2015 10:11 pm
by Alhazad
GORDON wrote:She would deny doing so until her dying breath.
Yeah, that seems to be a theme. Regardless, you're letting her feed your cat laxatives. If he's weaned (4-month mark), then his lactase enzymes have probably gone away forever, and he could diarrhea-shit himself into kidney damage.
Posted: Thu Oct 01, 2015 10:17 pm
by Malcolm
"My kids are supposed to take care of me, anyway."
Technically, she bet right on that one. I mean, one of her kids ended up enslaving you.
Posted: Thu Oct 01, 2015 10:19 pm
by GORDON
Malcolm wrote:"My kids are supposed to take care of me, anyway."
Technically, she bet right on that one. I mean, one of her kids ended up enslaving you.
Her own children hate her guts. Her daughter marrying me was like her winning the lottery.
Posted: Thu Oct 01, 2015 11:18 pm
by Malcolm
GORDON wrote:Malcolm wrote:"My kids are supposed to take care of me, anyway."
Technically, she bet right on that one. I mean, one of her kids ended up enslaving you.
Her own children hate her guts. Her daughter marrying me was like her winning the lottery.
Lotteries can be rough on the balls getting drawn. Hah. Have you thought about enrolling her in obedience class? She seems to adapt less well than her pet, maybe you could apply the same discipline to her you would to an annoying cat. Have you tried spraying her with vinegar when she does something stupid?
Edited By Malcolm on 1443756037
Posted: Sat Oct 03, 2015 9:16 pm
by GORDON
So when the MIL moved in she was talking a good game about wanting to help with housework, and stuff. All we really asked of her is that she keep her own bedroom and attached bathroom clean. All of her laundry, meals, etc we just do with our own. And that's fine.
But then time passes and she isn't doing anything. Dawn gets more and more irritated with her, causing the stress levels to rise, resulting in the two of them blowing up over it every other day, or so.
So the other day it was just the MIL and I in the kitchen, Dawn was out. She tells me, "Tell Dawn to make me a list of the housework she wants me to do, because I forget what she wants done."
Me: She wants you to straighten up your bedroom and clean your bathroom.
MIL: Because I just can't remember what she wants me to do, then she gets mad and yells.
Me, speaking a little more slowly and clearly: She wants you to straighten up your bedroom and clean your bathroom.
MIL: Because if she wants me to do stuff and doesn't write it down, I just wont remember. *leaves the room*
In the four months she's lived here I don't think she's ever straightened up her room or cleaned her bathroom.
Posted: Sun Oct 04, 2015 11:33 am
by GORDON
edit - I am writing these on Facebook so the rest of her family, who are NOT stepping up to help, can read it and hopefully feel guilty.... so you guys are getting all the real names.
++++++++
So Will's kitten just got castrated and had his front claws removed, and the vet gave us this special dust-free litter to use for the next week so his claw wounds would not get infected. As mentioned before, the MIL has her own cat, and she REQUIRES that her cat eat and poop in her room. We tried to make better arrangements early on putting the litter box in the basement, but in the middle of the night she would haul it back up next to her bed because she wants her little baby pooping next to her bed at all times.
ANYWAY... we told her, that for the next few days, keep her bedroom door closed, because the kitten, with his own litter in the basement, would use the older cat's litter box if it happened to be closer.
For the first day everything was fine. Door closed and latched.
Yesterday she started closing the door without latching it. After the 3rd of 4th time Dawn or I had to latch it to keep the kitten from opening it, she started screeching loudly how it is fine, that kitten isn't big enough to push it open.
Today I don't have to tell you what happened. She brought the kitten out, "He was in Clara's litter box," and we both reminded her about how she yelled and argued with us about how the kitten couldn't possibly push the door open because he is too small.
She's currently in her room weeping, and probably thinking about how mean we are.
I realize my little stories may sometimes seem mean, but in context if she weren't so nasty, stubborn, obstinate, and loud about everything there would be no reason for me to vent off frustrations. She begged me to take care of her, and now she disagrees with the manner in which I provide the care, which in my opinion is miles better than the care and comfort she would receive in a nursing home that is in her price range.
The end. See you tomorrow.
Edited By GORDON on 1443972897