Tuesday, December 31, 2013

Soap operas again

Mom is going on, for the fourth time in twenty minutes, and for the dozenth time in the last week, about her friend's daughter who has a thing for marrying losers. And she's going on about it with considerable passion, and she's throwing in suggestions that the friend's daughter see a psychic to ascertain why she's trapped in this pattern.

She started the morning with an angry, repeated political rant that I tried to stomach for as long as I could until I snapped, said 'enough.' She was offended. Dad pointed out to me that she was ill so I should be more patient with her, but then ended up responding to another of her rants in the same way that I did. Neither of us can really take it.

Actually, I just left the room and came back to hear mom repeating the same spiel to dad.

I want to say, "how many times do you need to rehash the same story?" and maybe I have. She would be rehashing these things regardless of her condition; it's not that she's forgotten that she's told them. It's that she likes to dwell and she believes in the power of repetition. I believe in the power of letting go and leaving other people's interpersonal dramas to them.

1 comment:

Tmomma said...

one of the many sad things with alzheimer's is the repeating of older stories and the forgetfulness of the present. my grandmother (my bubbie) had alzheimer's and it was heartbreaking to watch her decline. it wasn't as bad as nate's grandmother. but the same stories are hard to stomach over and over b/c you really don't want to hear them over and over and you know the illness just makes it worse. anyway, sorry that you and your dad have to experience this, no fun.