I have spent 3 of the last 5 days at my parents house. It has made me ill to the point I can barely get up. Abnormal? Friday I just had to come over. For what, my Dad hurt his back so they both went into I cant function at all mode? What was so urgent that day? As they sat upon their thrones and barked out orders: Blow the leaves, vaccum (sp?) water my plants, go get the mail, take care of the trash, go pick up lunch (plenty of food in the house, I had just taken them to the store 2 days earlier), send an email for me, wrap this present for me. Truly what was so important I had to drive 50 miles r/t and burn 1/4 tank of gas? None of it! My Mom called and needed me over with desperation in her voice. I am not their Cinderella (with no prince at the end)! How do I tell them that along with my brothers and sisters that act like help (rare to none) from them should be counted as gold? I have never been so physically sick from stress in my life, and yes I have my own on top of my King and Queen parent's demands. I feel like trash when they treat me like a servant! And yes some of the stuff they wanted me to do I said no to. Ok I have vented, any advice?
Some people are just plain evil & that includes seniors. Please say no often now or you will be their slave forever. It's been 15 yrs. now for me & I can't get any cooperation from her doctor either. I'm two steps away from handing her over to state guardianship.
susan u said u drive 50 miles to take care of ur needy parents , id put a stop to that .
tell em ure charging a full tank of gas and all the stuff that needed to be done will be twenty bucks an hr . or they could do it themself . nothings free anymore .
gotta speak up ! i was floored to see 3.19 a gal this morning .
its costing u money to do things for ur parents and all the stress crap piled up on ya , it be difrent story if u get paid then u have earned something instead of begin feelin like a maid cinderela , nanana , gotta put a stop to it my friend ....
Be here with US!! We are real Kings and Queens of the REALM!
We are the strongest, most capable, and they all know it. They treat you like crap because they want you to remain subservient, and to feel like you need to do this to feel good about yourself. HEY GIRL!! We understand. Keep coming here and "Gross, need to Vent". You'll get a new perspective. HUGS
So to end this vent, I say put your foot down, don't continue to be so flexible and like naheaton said, do what you do when it's good for you and go to your happy place while doing it. Gotta save yourself!
Best of luck.
SO...this worked for us: when we got the frantic calls, the first thing we said-every time- was "ok, we will call 911, get dressed and be right down" Do that a couple times and they will be more honest and less dramatic about their calls, and when you stop going over, they will make their lists with more thought for the day(s) you are there. I know it doesn't feel like it right now, but you really do have control of this situation.
Here is the other side: because she learned that I am an honest, matter of fact, practical thinker who will get "it" done, not just talk about it---when she went into ICU and needed POA it was my husband and I, not the "favorite kids" we thought it would be. She said that she couldn't think of anyone she trusted more than us because we never took any $#%* from her...and from her that's a compliment.
My Mom has finally figured out that I am not always at home to answer the phone and most of the time, when I do eventually call her back, she doesn't remember calling me!
I just had to decide how many hoops I was willing to jump through and how often. Now, when I go over with groceries every 2 weeks, I try to take care of those other "problems", if I am able to and if they are necessary.
I will say that it took many months for my Mom to stop these constant demanding calls, but it does finally work. In fact, when I call her, I don't even bring up her recent crazy calls and she doesn't either.
Try this. And don't feel guilty. You are under no obligation to grant their every wish. Just tell them that you will hire someone to do the work, at their expense, that you can no longer do. If they don't want to pay a hired worker, then it doesn't get done. Period!
Let us know how it goes. Stay strong.
One more thing, I actually turn off the volume of the answering machine and just check the message light on the phone when I pass by. Then, I can listen to the crazy message when I am prepared for it, rather than being blind-sided by the crazy intrusions.
Hope this helps!
I'm not the type of girl to pick the guy with the biggest wallet I believe in being real with people and treating them the way you want to be treated not that I'm always perfect.
I'm 42 almost and just recently found out I have severe anxiety from when I was a child and I really don't know much about it because I never really knew I had it didn't even know what it was or how it felt but I carried it around. My therapist told me after all my testing he could tell that I was very truthful the whole time he analyzed me and he could tell by the testing there was a lot of neglect growing u. no wonder I I had such a hard time in school but kudos to me because I'm determined enough I went through cosmetology school and HVAC school and got the licensing required for both fields.
I started heating and air conditioning installing for my parents about 16 years ago and ever since I've been fired, quit, hired I don't know how many times. I have this bitterness towards my mom and I always have but for some reason I guess maybe I'm always looking for her acceptance. One minute I'm a hard worker and she's so proud of me and the next minute I'm just a piece of s*** and she pulled the rug out and I almost lose everything. I'm a single mom and have lost over $2,000 of income about every time. Some of its my own fault for quitting but how much can a person take.
I'm a lead HVAC journeyman installer doing what most men do why is my mom giving me such a hard time? Why is she so willing to just yank everything away from me because she can. This is my mother. I've also gotten in a fist fight with her in my twenties because she thinks she can still smack anybody whenever she feels like it. I wish you would end up in anger management one of these days getting busted for smacking somebody that'll teach her a lesson.
Anger management taught me a lesson cuz boy that I grow up angry deal with that s***. Anger management taught me a lot you guys I suggest signing up for it if you're dealing with a lot of s*** in your family because it really does open your eyes to certain things and it does make you feel better. They show you Ingles you're not used to looking.
I always felt like my mom's slave!!! 42 years old and I feel like I wear a leash and every time I have an opinion that leash is strangling the s*** out of me. Yesterday I quit because I was accused of doing 80 miles an hour down the freeway with her company van. She comes to me with a red face accusing me of this telling me that an officer called because somebody called the police complaining saying I was doing 80 miles an hour. She said the officer had me on camera. She said she asked my brother and my nephew whom I work with and they said yes I was speeding.
For two women in the office who are determined to a twin and outsmart everyone I mean these women are horrible. like they don't have anything better to do. They are very organized and have to admit they will dig up some information in a heartbeat to use against you. It dawned on me that they're asking my brother and my nephew. why would they ask them if an officer called? Just didn't sound right to me and the last time I walked in the door and they came running to me accusing me of reckless driving I had to laugh. Last time my brothers van and my van we're right next to each other in a line and I felt as if somebody was playing games with me out of my peripheral vision. The truck what kind of move up and then fall back, move up and fall back again. It forced me to look over and it was Dave heating & air, our shop is been talking about them for years cuz they were right down the road from us. We've corrected a lot of their scams and half the time nobody has a comp card to even be legal to work. Pretty much the guy called the shop because he doesn't like our company. I got attacked because some other company wanted to play baby games. All I could think of this time as they wanted to be sneakier and see if they could get me to bust myself by making up a stupid story. After they push me to quit I got home and realized, why are they asking the other two guys if I'm speeding because they told me an officer called with video? I then tell myself wouldn't the officer want to talk to me if I was speeding that fast? My mom tells me Jennifer your nephews not in a seatbelt so you have to be careful or you could kill him. But you're the one putting them in the van without the seat belt right????? Do you have the information so I can speak to the officer that called you directly? No its your lucky day we deleted it. Do you have a name so I can hunt him down? We don't have any information for you. So as organized as you two are and I know you both very well you just mysteriously lost all the information you need to fight unemployment against one of your employees something you guys cling on to??? It's all a crock of s***!!!!
I have told my mom many times and I understand its her company but I am her daughter and you think she would give a s***. I have been going in some really ask nasty House I work my fingers bloody for her I have a f***** up shoulder from her I have a f***** up knee but she talked me into signing off on my workmans comp because it legal if you have your children working for you. She puts an accident policy in place instead but really I think I'm getting hosed. So I'm going to get a little bit of money if I go and get surgery on these things? Yeah I probably will get money but is it going to cover all my medical bills plus the Bill I need to take care of for my home to keep my kid in his home.
She went non union but I was a union member so she wrote down all the stuff she was going to offer me to stay with her and quit the union. My family wanted me to keep working for them in my heart I couldn't turn away. I believe families are supposed to be a certain way even though mine is not. Little by little she started taking things away from me that was in our contract for me to stay with her instead of going to the Union. She took my healthcare away which was part of the agreement that she would pay for. She remove 20 hours of vacation. That wasn't the deal. I feel like I would have been better off saying screw you mom I'm going to the Union dumping her. Should I head vacation pay I had retirement I have a safety plan so much more than she offers.
You know what you guys we don't all get the best parents all we can do is try to be better and do better with our kids.
See I know why my mom is the way she is she just gives up having a real heart because hers has been trampled. She thinks money is her band aid. I think it's going to end up pushing her whole entire family away eventually and when she's old she has to wipe ur own ass because we won't be there to help her. I won't I'm about ready to take her grandchild away from her like the therapist said.
Anger management says tit for tat is unacceptable and trying to get even is unacceptable. My therapist told me why not if your son is your tool to make your mom respect you, do it. Really kinda shocked me.
Thing is my son has a really special bond with her she bonds real well with the grandkids if they're boys. Thing is I think she just spoiled the s*** out of them so bad that they think they get everything for free I've had to correct my son on who really he is supposed to listen to. I felt like my mom was even trying to control my own kid. Give him everything he wants so grandma's the angel and moms just a crabby old lady? Now we think grandma's the boss because grandma can control my mom so that must mean she's the boss.
At this point, my trailer that I been trying to save for 7 years is almost paid off. I don't know if my mom burned bridges with her company but we don't even get half the work we use to It's All County work and its the shittiest stuff you can get. Almost like she is just burned everybody away from her because she likes to be yes im so special look at me I have diamonds and I have my company. Lady you only have that company is because your new husband worked with them since I was a little girl working his ass off to support you and your kids. Funny how the company's mysteriously in your name now. I've heard many times he will get his ass thrown out and all he will get is his underwear that's how respectful she is towards the man who never left her side. Yeah he was a drunk at first and didn't show up for our family shit but how long are you going to beat the poor guy up for it he hasn't done it in years. He brought us to this point if it wasn't for him none of us would be working in that company. Point, I respect my stepfather and would protect him way before my own mother.
I could go on forever like I said I've had her leash for 16 years.
I did my math I can go work at Burger King flipping a burger and make what I make from unemployment when I'm not getting hours from her why am I taking this crap I'd rather flip burger then have fiberglass shoved in my face anyway. She sees my face broke out severely you guys I'm not talking little I'm talking fiberglass fibers continually jammed in your face so where you look like a roadmap but I do it to take care of my kid. I told her quit relying on this crap get our own jobs, I don't want this s*** down in my face its not what I started here for. I'm told that is your job you will do it. I did not apply here to being an addict installing bath and I was trained to install furnaces and run duct work and I don't even touch any of it anymore. All my talent and all my training is being wasted because all you care about is putting money in your pocket you don't give a s*** what you're doing to your family.
These are situations that caregiving children face. If I left there would be no one. I can't grab her by the ankles and drag her down the front steps to stick her in a facility. That would be illegal. I can't get guardianship, because she is not incompetent enough. Besides, being around people would be torture to her. I can't leave, because she is too incompetent for that. So I am here wondering how much longer it will be before I will be free to live my own life again. After 7 years, I'm not even sure that I know what that life is anymore. I'm not sure that I won't be the one to die first.
With the changes in Medicaid that have been proposed, there will probably be a lot more family caregivers in this position in the future. It won't be the parents' autism or mental illness keeping them from living their lives, it will be the inability to afford a place for their parents. We'll have to see how that goes.
I can identify with so much of what you are writing about. But I can also see Susan's point of view as well. Its hard when a daughter becomes the default caregiver. And our parents think we owe them. Or we have to take care of them. We are all so different. Have different needs and wants. My worry for Susan and the same thing that happened to me is, is all the resentment and anger that comes from feeling you have been taken for granted. Your time, your money, your efforts, your feeling are not even a consideration anymore. Its a very hard balance to find. And I know its tough on us women to set boundaries and to advocate for ourselves.
But you are right sunflower, I never wanted my dad to die. And it happened too quickly. It is my biggest regret not cherishing my time with my father and being consumed with all my errands instead. I was the one that took it for granted that my dad was strong and we would just carry on. His death is still a terrible shock. Still learning to cope with this new reality.
Hello all, I know it has been along time since I posted anything on here but I thought I would give everyone an update on my situation. First of all "thank you" to all you responded to my initial posting. It makes me feel happy to know that someone out their understands what I am going through. Now for the news. My father (the main source of my anger and frustration) passed away at the beginning of the summer.
Hello all, I know it has been along time since I posted anything on here but I thought I would give everyone an update on my situation. First of all "thank you" to all you responded to my initial posting. It makes me feel happy to know that someone out their understands what I am going through. Now for the news. My father (the main source of my anger and frustration) passed away at the beginning of the summer.
This was not all that unexpected because he was suffering from stage four prostate cancer and it was only a matter of time. But as you can expect this came with its own frustrations. Particularly because my father did not have any prearranged burial instructions or money set aside for a funeral. So in the end he received a private ceremony at the home and a simple cremation. In the end this was for the best as most of his friends are either dead or in the same shape he was in so it is not like there were many to attend a full service.
As for how his death has affected the family most are happy that my father is no longer suffering and that we can start to make plans for the future.
Why is she apparently collecting the money from them and then paying their bills for them? Why can't they pay their own bills? This is ridiculous. If they don't get the money to her themselves, she doesn't pay the bills (I hope the bills are in their names!). What's happening right now is that you are enabling HER enabling.
What can she do? If it was my mom - she would yell and scream at me, but then go to your room and shut the door or leave for a while. Maintain your politeness, but there is no reason you can't say "No, i am not going to do that".