This is about the in laws who are in their early 70's so not really old by any means. They used to run their own company, very successfully, still have their wits about them, certainly not heading for dementia or anything.
MIL rang just now to tell me that DD had left her oyster card at their house yesterday, she sounded really anxious, stressing that DD would need it for school on Monday. I said not to worry it's only Friday, I'll pop in tomorrow or DH would at some point during the weekend.
She starts screeching in the background to FIL saying he must take it over to our house immediately. FIL starts getting stressed saying he has an appointment with the doctor at 5pm and wouldn't be able to do that today, it's a 20 minute drive to ours!
I interrupt saying again, not to worry, there's plenty of time to get it and even if DD didn't have it by Monday she could walk as it's her fault she left it there. School is less than 2 miles away, it's not going to kill her.
More screeching and stress down the phone with a 3 way conversation going on.
Why do so many older people get like this, when does it start, how do we prevent the same happening to us. Is it that they don't have enough going on now that kids have left home and they're retired so every issue becomes magnified.
It really is such a trivial thing and there have been many instances like this and some friends say similar about their parents/in laws.
AIBU?
Why do the older generation get so uptight about trivial stuff, and will we end up like that?
sandyballs · 01/11/2013 13:06
I don't know if it's anything to do with age.
For example of all the forums I've ever been on, Mumsnet contains by far the most threads by people stressing over the tiniest of things imo.
I'm sure all the stressers/moaners aren't over 70 
My mum got a red bill from British Gas once. Apparently the envelope identified her as a 'non-payer' 
so the postman would have known.
She wrote letters, lots of them. She always paid her bill the day it arrived.
How DP (postman) and I sniggered.
I don't know.
I've known some pretty chilled out teenagers turn into worrisome, uptight whinge bags as soon as they get a bit older and have children
I see this too in my DM, who is insistent that she is fully with it.
I have noticed the thing about lateness, I tend to go up for lunch with her on my day off and am sometimes delayed by other people calling with me for coffee. She has to give me a stern telling off for 'always being late' even though we have no time set for lunch and i am in fact often earlier than she expects.
Today she told my DD2 (9) that she wouldn't be sending her any more 'homework' (little riddles and puzzles sent to her ipod) because I had said not to send any more. 
My comment had actually been (in response to her saying DD2 had not replied to her last email) that DD2 had been a bit busy that week in school and hadn't had time to reply yet.
With arrangements, I have to make absolutely clear what is happening. No good to leave the ball in her court as she invariably gets it wrong and then blames me.
And the driving thing. She now will only go as far as our local town, max 10 miles and cannot cope with a dual carriageway or night driving. There must be many, many older people who are so anxious behind the wheel that it must be having an impact on the flow of traffic and the safety.
God, you should meet my Dad!
He's 64 and is turning into a cranky old bugger. It's baffling to me because he's always been so chilled about things, but now just watching the tv with him is a nightmare. He gets irritated with/by everything and everyone on screen.
Me and Mum just look at each and raise our eyebrows. Then I text my sister
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