To think you just can't take some people seriously?

[PurpleSky300]

There is an older couple in my extended family and I can't take anything they say seriously because it's just... nonsense, essentially.

They'll say they are going to do a certain thing - travel, buy a dog, change jobs, whatever - it never happens. They'll say they are struggling for money, but a few weeks later they're putting pics from a luxury holiday on Facebook. At one point there was a long saga about the man being dismissed from his job, but we found out through friends that he left voluntarily. The woman told us at one point that she needed a hip replacement, and then that topic disappeared and was never mentioned again. They come up with these very dramatic stories and incidents that seem to vanish into thin air and I just don't know why?

Do you know anyone like this? How do you cope with it?

I've known individuals like this, but never a couple. Is one the Walter Mitty and the other largely silent? Or do you think one believes the other? Or some sort of folie a deux?

Guess it depends on how much time you spend in their company. If they're very close relatives who you feel obliged to spend time with try just tuning them out and being neutral towards them. If they're just in the background it would make no odd to me - they just sound a bit odd/sad. Definitely not a matter of coping if it's the latter?

It's rare that I see them individually, so hard to say. My DP thinks they create stories to make their lives sound a bit more exciting at family gatherings and it's harmless enough, but it winds me up. And with Christmas around the corner, I know we've got more in store. I don't think they realise that some claims can be easily 'checked' these days (eg. a dramatic story about an accident on the A1 or whatever). Sometimes I sit there, listening and I just want to say, 'why are you lying to me?'