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Becky Lindenmeyer's avatar

2. Yes. I think we all get more irritated than we should with our parents. Partly because we all have childhood issues that never quite get resolved. Also as they get older and we see them start to get a bit out of step with what's current, it can be irritating. I'm 68 years old and sometimes see that happening between me and my own kids now, and that sucks ass, believe me. Anyway my parents are dead, but your question reminds me of something that I feel like sharing. About 2 years before my mom died, she and I were on the phone and had a bad connection. There was an echo and a delay of a few seconds, so I was hearing everything I said, repeated back to me in my own voice. What I heard was my irritated tone of voice which was totally uncalled for. I was appalled. It was a huge eye-opener. The next 2 years were rough... commuting 4 hours round trip most weekends as she needed more help from me, eventually moving her to my town, then caring for her in her last year as she was dying. Caregiving is a true labor of love but extremely stressful. The thing is, after that weird phone call where I heard my own tone of voice, I never once lost patience with my mom, never got irritated with her. That one small thing changed my relationship with her.

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olivia rafferty's avatar

1. i get worried if my parents call more than once, because i have many family members and many family members mean many unexpected deaths to anticipate, because my brain works like that

2. my mum called me the other day to tell me to update my LinkedIn profile. she loves LinkedIn. I think she thinks it will bring me, like, career success or something. it will not. i do not want to update my linkedin profile.

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