Resilience to boring conversation (lighthearted)

[swingingbytheseat]

Sending solidarity to anyone else who has to listen to the males in their family describing their journeys to and from, including which slip roads are open and closed on the M25, which bridges they went under and why their chosen route is better than Google Maps

Please share tips on how you cope

I feel your pain. I anticipate being treated to another lengthy monologue by my brother regarding the gigs he's been to this year over Christmas dinner, no space for anyone else to participate in the conversation, and finished with a smug grin that expresses how much more hip and with it he is than me.

I merely do boring things like care for our elderly mother and host Christmas for the last consecutive 15 years without any contribution.

As for coping, sometimes dp and I sneak to the kitchen and down vodka shots. I'm not proud, but anything to get through that part of the day!

Ask them how they are in their soul

The school of life has a good list of questions for deep conv, I'd download the app

Either you'll get a proper conv or force them into silence. Win win.

I would literally say to him - great to hear about your gigs, but let's make this a broader conv we can all join in, and change the subject.

Why wouldn't you?

I once literally fell asleep at the Christmas table while Dad was boring on and on and on (to be fair I was young, very full and not used to the wine) and he didn't even notice. Just as well, the scene that would have erupted if he had... and that would have lasted until Twelfth Night too.

Play bingo! Get together with to some co conspirators, make a bingo card, and have some fun with it.

It was a running joke that every time we went to our in laws the very first conversation was a long and boring one about our journey, how was the traffic, did you have any problems with X road, was it busy etc. Even if we said it was fine they would have a million questions. Then it would move on to 'when are you back in work, how many days do you have off?' I mean, can't we just enjoy the time we have off first before thinking about that?!

To my horror, I found myself recounting a road trauma to someone when I arrived. I caught myself mid-sentence and apologised profusely, but I can't look at myself in the same way again now I know it's possible. I blame my dad and not so D H - if I didn't have to listen to them drone on, I wouldn't be exposed to this stuff.

I am with whoever does the vodka shots.

How about one vodka shot every time someone asks which route you took?

For a non-driver, I'm surprisingly geeky over motorways, especially service stations, so I don't mind that kind of conversation.

Get yourself an autistic child who's monologues on their specialist subject can last weeks, months or years. Then a mere few hours of monotonous subject conversation will seem extremely short! Ask me how I know.