Older folks and their endearing ways . Not.

[Nofeckingway]

Going on from a previous OP that said her ILs drive her insane with their narrow food choices, constant tea drinking and couch sitting .. what little harmless ways drive you mad ?
My father when I was younger and visiting with small DCs would come into the bedroom when he figured we had slept enough to squeegee and dry the windows of any condensation. Happened a lot as we often visited at Xmas time . Just because it was his habit every morning . Also wanted a dinner at 1pm despite us only getting around to brunch at 12. Would turn news on in middle of people talking . Hated anyone sitting in his chair .

But he redeemed himself as he was also a loving generous man and he and my mother would go shopping for nappies, wipes , food for our visits and pick up the tab for meals out .

Dad
Rolling news cycle, 1pm, 6pm, 9pm, 10pm programmes with Sky constantly on in the background throughout. Total attention and silence in the house required for 1, 6 and 10 as though nobody had any inkling as to what had happened all day.
Drove me mad when I visited, and quite clearly fed massive anxiety levels over covid and the rest thereafter. Really difficult to talk to him as he clearly had one ear on the "news" and wouldn't pay any attention. Then get annoyed when you'd pack up to leave because you'd hardly chatted [in 5 hours]

Mum
Conversation dominated by references to people I didn't know but given context, 1st cousin of the lady who works at X, she served you 15 years ago when you bought Y. Do you remember her? No ? Well her cousin died of something terrible that's vaguely related to something in the news or someone you both know that has an unrelated illness.
Shoot.me.now.

I miss them both but conversations were hard work.

When my mum is catastrophising about the state of the world she always ends it with 'well at least we have the vegetable garden'. She knows I find it funny but she does take comfort from the thought that it will sustain them through what ever crisis comes along.

Sounds like a romantic classic film!

"Come what may, we'll always have Wolverhampton"

Anyone at any age old or young can piss me off.

This. Also to the person who bought her mum a microwave plate warmer. I bought one of those, used it once absolutely according to the instructions and it actually smoked in the microwave.....maybe your Mum is not as daft as you think...... One of my kirchen walls is on a cold corner of the house, so the plates and so on stored in it are always cold too so yes I pour hot water over them before serving hot food on them.

Oh for goodness sake, of course it could be her personality. But I was replying to the TS - Older folks and their endearing ways! She is older, she is 83, she is endearing and she has her ways. Any problems with that? Bore off

aww...both these stories are so sweet and endearing.

...But I'm sure someone will be along in a second to tell me I'm wrong. 😉

I just take bin liners. Where else is it going? Pants all over the bedroom floor?

@IdentityCris If you read my very first post you would know. If you are so offended go start posts about other groups of people such as French, teenagers, cat lovers , whatever .

Everyone having to be up and dressed at 8 am - having horrified confidence that it was as late as 9 am before they managed that despite fact they have no where to be that day and are years into retirement. My DGP were the same though and it's IL and my parents.

I have teens - one would regularly not get dressed entire day. We are often later at weekends but up when we need to be.

It did annoy me when my parents used to ring to make sure we were up at weekends - why ring if you though we wouldn't be - and it was often our one chance to catch up on sleep (sex) and post kids we'd been up bloody hours by then.

IL have staretd to realsie turning up at 8.30 on a Sunday doesn't mean we'll bet ready any faster - so they do accomodate and go out for a coffee and breakfast first so are a bit later - but then I get horrified last week we weren't up till 9 am on Thursaday - and I'll ask did you need to be up well no - and you do the really long walk on a wednesday with your club and were out late with then why is it shocking you are slower next day getting up with no urgent need to.

I am not stingy but I do make tea in a teapot if humanly possible. One bag per person in a teapot would produce ridiculously strong tea unless it was a catering sized pot or urn. One bag per person if each bag is in a mug means you end up using far more bags than you really need to. I make a pot of tea most days with one bag which produces at least three good-sized mugfuls of a decent strength. I see this as common sense, not a sign of meanness, nor does it have anything to do with rationing, which was long gone before I was born. My parents hardly ever referred to it, although I think their lifelong enjoyment of sweets, biscuits and cakes probably had something to do with having not had all that much of those in their late childhood and teens.

Weird! Some people must just bung it all in together 🙁

😂😂😂
Oooooh touched a nerve? 😂
Just trying to make sense of it! 🤣

Absolutely!! As demonstrated on this thread. Bad tempered and intolerant folks aren't just elderly, obviously! 😂

This started as a thread based on a previous poster who found her ILs visiting and their habits very irritating. Just wondering about other habits that previous generations ie older than you have .
But it's been hijacked by people looking for any excuse to be belligerent and pendantic . So off I fuck .

I may start a thread about French cat loving teenagers.

I think these stories are very sweet! 😍

Aw, I just love that! So phlegmatic and practical! Brilliant 😊

So true. It's brought me up short to remember that when my Dad retired at 65, I thought he and my Mum were as old as the hills. I am now 64 and my husband is 70. OK, we're not in the prime of life, but I don't feel really old - not yet, anyway ...

Oh come off it, it’s a nostalgic and loving thread. If you don’t like it don’t click on it and leave the rest of us to enjoy.

My dad used to always stress about traffic and parking so would set off for any destination an hour earlier than necessary 🥰

Weird how nobody's coming to the defence of people on benefits when there's a benefits bashing thread, but a light heated thread about elderly people's habits have them furious

That's good management of anxiety, I think.

Yes indeed.

I completely get that her world is smaller and try to be emphatic to that. The difference is you’ve said you love hearing about your children’s lives, I’m sure you don’t exasperate them! I could literally tell my DGM both my legs have fallen off and it wouldn’t register, she’s just waiting to get her next download in 😂.

My mum's friend wrote a negative review of a new cafe as the plates weren't warmed.