People who talk about their lives and never reciprocate.

[Annabelnextdoor]

How do you deal with people like this? When the status quo has become they talk and you listen. They never ask questions or show much interest in your life. And probably don’t even know they do it. Do you have to be blunt? I also find a lot of older men like this. Their favourite topic of conversation is simply themselves. Incredibly boring and frustrating.

I have a friend like this. It’s impossible to get a word in edgeways so now I call her when I go running, I find it difficult to chat and run at the same time but that doesn’t matter with her 😁

I think his can be true but it also works the other way. Chronic over sharing with a stranger, especially he sad and upsetting parts of your life are quite a burden to place on another person. It can be quite selfish.

I might as well be a stuffed animal.

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This is a great way of describing how being on the receiving end!

I think a bit of chit chat about general topics can be very pleasant. It passes the time of day, didn't it? Anything else is too much and actually is unfair on the other person because now the burden is on them to end the chat and that can appear rude.

'She didn't respond! I think she would have been hurt. I know I would want to be told if there was something wrong and not ghosted, even if the truth hurts, so I tried to do the "right" thing. I think now I'm older, I am learning to be more direct with people'

Yes, she may well have been hurt, but there isn't really a way to end a friendship where no one gets hurt. Like you say, you tried to do a decent thing. I needed to end a long term friendship a few years ago but wasn't brave enough to be direct, so I just quietly withdrew. I know that hurt her, and I do regret that, but like you, I also feel enormous relief that i don't have to deal with the friendship any more

My sister definitely dominates group conversations.
After a long while of everyone listening to her, people try have mini conversations with each other.
As soon as she notices she doesn't have everyone's undivided attention, she'll ask a random open ended question to the group.
And I mean RANDOM
Such as
"What was everyone's favourite toy they received on their 10th birthday?"
And then if someone in the group cannot reply within a nanosecond of the question she will be like,
"Urgh! I can't believe you guys don't know your favourite toy from your 10th birthday!
Mine was a princess barbie! Have you seen the barbie movie?! It's amazing, I went with Vera from work. I treated her because she's having such a bad time of it lately. She found out her husband cheated on her with lady that works on the co op with the curly hair. Vera is so much prettier than her - I saw the co op lady the other day because I had to pop in there for lunch as I needed cheese for this recipe I was going to make.
WHATS EVERYONES FAVOURITE RECIPE?!
Mine is lasagne, I make THE BEST lasagne. I was given the recipe from my friend Jane. Did you know her daughter had twins via IVF?"

And so on and on and on
I know so much about complete random strangers it's absolutely comical 🤣

I have met children that talk incessantly, maybe they can’t help it, or have never been taught otherwise.

Same as those who brag about their kids but never ask about your own family. I work with someone who would talk about her kids all the time but never asked about yours. She also ran a community group that my ds attended for a number of years. From the day he left until now (about 6 years later) she has not asked ONCE how he is getting on but she drops her now adult kids into almost every conversation...

😭😭😭

Same as those who brag about their kids but never ask about your own family. I work with someone who would talk about her kids all the time but never asked about yours.

Absolutely. I know so much about one of my colleague-her husband, kids, parents, childhood, health, husband’s health…I don’t think she could even name my kids!

@Lottapianos awww I'm sorry, I think it's painful either way as you say. I just think by not being honest with someone, hurts more for them and they never receive closure. I would never have been so direct in the past! It's hard, sometimes friendships just have use by dates.

I understand, I recently let go of a long-standing friendship because of the way she’d monopolise the conversation and send me a blow by blow description of every minor inconvenience and then dismiss anything I was going through.

I kept it going a lot longer than many would’ve because of history and feeling some kind of responsibility to her.

My DB and DM are both like this. Drone on about their lives, work, job, health non stop, both love to overshare about all their problems, issues etc. I live in a different country and know the names of their co-workers, etc. they know nothing about me or my work as they never ask. If I wouldn’t tell them they wouldn’t even know where or when we go on holidays. Beyond frustrating