Anyone else's PIL tell the SAME stories all the time

[avocuddl]

Even when I say, oh yes you've told this one before, they'll continue to retell the bloody anecdote that wasn't witty, funny or interesting the first time.

I think I need to work on my fake interested face and fake laugh.

I just wrote, and deleted, a slightly mean post about my ex mil.
I do wonder though if it’s not the repetitive anecdotes that are the issue per se, but the lack of interest in anyone else’s life?

^ yes to the last part of this, but then when you do manage to get the very small opportunity to tell her about your life, she then brings it back round to herself 🙄

Bold fail, sorry.

MIL is the Queen of Repetition. You can even interrupt her during the re-telling to say "you've told me this before" and she will continue, you can swap your oohs and ahhs for a blunt "yes I know, you said already" and still she goes on. A BIL early on warned me not to ask questions as it only lengthened the story. You can pick up the paper and completely ignore her even leave the room and still...

And 50% of the time someone has died. Even if she starts with "do you remember X" and you say "IS HE DEAD" she will still go on.

My MIL has 4 stories from DH's childhood before the age of 10. These are retold every time we see her (and have been from the first day we met). If she does not get the reaction she expects (ie- horrified face/noise for the injury story, ahhh face/expression for the baby story etc) she will repeat the story. She has never told me anything else about his childhood at that age- so much so that DH and I only half joke the he must have been adopted at the age of 10 and she doesn't want him to know).

My Dad on the other hand quite often tells us quite interesting stories about his younger days that we had never heard before. Eg. D Niece bought a motorbike and he told us all about the summer he and his friends spent travelling round Europe on motorbikes about 50 years before (complete with photo album from the time to illustrate). No one in the family had any idea this had happened. I asked why he'd never spoken about it before and apparently 'it had never really come up before'.

My own beloved mum died a few years ago and she had a few friends around the same age. I've known them all my life . I telephone them every now and then ( perhaps every few months ) just as a catch up and I guess to a degree in my mum's memory. They basically tell you the same things everytime. It will be about the past , their last doctors appointment , or what they have been doing.I telephoned one yesterday , heard all about how she's been unwell , what her neighbour has been up to . I'm never asked how I am, even though I'm hoarse with a heavy cold and sore throat. But I do it because I know they get very few visitors and I just might be the only person that day to listen.

Yup, my Ddad always tells a story about this time he had a special type of meal made by 'Someone'. For example, mac and cheese, but with a different twist, an added ingredient, the actual dish is very outing.

He tells me several times a year that I should make that certain dish that way.

I do! I've made it for him several times and
It drives me up the wall that he never remembers that I make it for him.

Sigh. I know it's just one of those things though. My DH thinks it's hilarious I get so wound up over it!

No but MIL is like Ronnie Corbett's closing thing on the Two Ronnies (years ago- I'm old) where he tells a story but keeps going off at tangents so you never find out how any of the 10 stories end.

Great to know about the cut price tulips in Tesco , MIL, but what happened to Gladys's son after he ram raided the post office???????

Yep, but they are lovely so I don't mind. Its even worse with my own Gran though

I'm a carer and expecting my second child. One of the clients tells me every shift about her unusual first birth (50/60 years ago). I had the exact same when I was pregnant with my first, two years ago. Then she'll say "have I told you this before?" When she's only told me the day before. And I mean it's every single shift. I just say, yes but I'd love to her it again. She's the sweetest person ever though and my favourite client so its fine

Yes my PIL do this. It's quite cute but can be tiresome. The same handful of stories at least a few times a year. Mainly at Easter or Christmas. We'll miss them (the people & the stories) when they're gone though.