I need opinions please. My mother, 75 years old, went to the hospital for tests. Her doctor told her to go to the ER for testing because her red blood cell count was low. She felt fine but the doctor said it could indicate a problem. My sister left work to bring her there. I don't know why my mother didn't drive herself, the hospital is about 5 minutes from her house. She wasn't too sick to drive, she felt normal. They tested her for internal bleeding and didn't find any, but decided to keep her there overnight. Well, now it turns out there is very slight rectal bleeding, nothing to be worried about they said, but they want to do a couple more tests just to find out the reason, so she might stay one more night, which would mean she would leave tomorrow. Well, tomorrow my husband, my daughter and myself all took the day off of work with plans to go to the city to visit a couple of museums and have lunch. My mother wants a ride home from the hospital. My sister who took her to the hospital can't do it because of a previous obligation that can't be changed. My mother won't ask my older sister, even though they live together, because they had a fight. I live an hour away from my mother. She doesn't want to take a cab, because she "just doesn't like them". My question is, do I have to cancel our trip to the city, drive an hour down to the hospital, drive my mother 5 MINUTES home, and then drive an hour back, just so she doesn't have to take a cab?
I wouldn't do it. It's not like she had major surgery or got a cancer diagnosis. She is being stubborn about not asking your sister who lives with her for a ride.
I don't know. What message do you want to send to your kids? Yeah, sometimes our elderly parents seem a bit unreasonable. Personally, i would vote to go pick up grandma.
Oh, man. I own one of these. She was loving the drama and trying to suck you all in. Call the sister and tell her pick her up. You aren't driving an hour because they are in a tiff. Ugh! I feel your pain.
I'd ask my older sister, who lives with Mom, to please step up and smooth over the fight. And pick Mom up at the hospital.
You shouldn't have to cancel plans with your family over something so petty.
JMHO.
If you dont' cancel your plans for mother, whom do you cancel them for? She is 75. Go pick her up and take her out to lunch. You all have the day off. Why not? The museum will always be there.
Oh, man. I own one of these. She was loving the drama and trying to suck you all in. Call the sister and tell her pick her up. You aren't driving an hour because they are in a tiff. Ugh! I feel your pain.
Go enjoy your day off.
The sister took her in. I think it seems reasonable for someone else to pick her. I mean, you can do whatever you want to do. Your choice. I dont' know your mother so maybe she is demanding or overly dramatic or whatever. You have to make that decision. But, if it was me, i would pick her up.
Oh, man. I own one of these. She was loving the drama and trying to suck you all in. Call the sister and tell her pick her up. You aren't driving an hour because they are in a tiff. Ugh! I feel your pain.
Go enjoy your day off.
Yep. Absolutely. She lives with her. She can go and get her...
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I'd ask my older sister, who lives with Mom, to please step up and smooth over the fight. And pick Mom up at the hospital.
You shouldn't have to cancel plans with your family over something so petty.
JMHO.
If you dont' cancel your plans for mother, whom do you cancel them for? She is 75. Go pick her up and take her out to lunch. You all have the day off. Why not? The museum will always be there.
The day you get married, your first duty is to your husband and children.
Mom has other options. The daughter who lives with her, for example.
There is a sister that lives with Mom. They are in a tiff. So SW cancels plans, has to drive over two hours in total to deliver Mom to the house where the sister is at? C'mon!
I'd ask my older sister, who lives with Mom, to please step up and smooth over the fight. And pick Mom up at the hospital.
You shouldn't have to cancel plans with your family over something so petty.
JMHO.
If you dont' cancel your plans for mother, whom do you cancel them for? She is 75. Go pick her up and take her out to lunch. You all have the day off. Why not? The museum will always be there.
The day you get married, your first duty is to your husband and children.
Mom has other options. The daughter who lives with her, for example.
Let older sister pick her up.
Not to mention that the mother sounds quite unreasonable. I'm sure this isn't the first time they have had to deal with her ridiculous demands...
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America guarantees equal opportunity, not equal outcome...
There is a sister that lives with Mom. They are in a tiff. So SW cancels plans, has to drive over two hours in total to deliver Mom to the house where the sister is at? C'mon!
Well, you can't control what someone else should or shouldn't do. You can only control what you do.
I'd ask my older sister, who lives with Mom, to please step up and smooth over the fight. And pick Mom up at the hospital.
You shouldn't have to cancel plans with your family over something so petty.
JMHO.
If you dont' cancel your plans for mother, whom do you cancel them for? She is 75. Go pick her up and take her out to lunch. You all have the day off. Why not? The museum will always be there.
The day you get married, your first duty is to your husband and children.
Mom has other options. The daughter who lives with her, for example.
Let older sister pick her up.
I think that's a bit overly dramatic. She isn't asking her to "shirk her duty to her husband and children' to pick her up and drive her home. Yeah, it might interfere with their plans to go the museum but that isn't exactly shirking one's duty.
There is a sister that lives with Mom. They are in a tiff. So SW cancels plans, has to drive over two hours in total to deliver Mom to the house where the sister is at? C'mon!
Well, you can't control what someone else should or shouldn't do. You can only control what you do.
And I wouldn't cancel my plans because my mother was a being a twit...
__________________
America guarantees equal opportunity, not equal outcome...
If she lives with her doesn't sister know she is in the hospital and soon to be discharged?
I'm sure she does. But she doesn't want to ask the live-in sister because she is mad at her, and she wants the other sister to drive 2 hours for a 5 minute trip. Um, no. Mother needs to get over herself...
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America guarantees equal opportunity, not equal outcome...
Oh, man. I own one of these. She was loving the drama and trying to suck you all in. Call the sister and tell her pick her up. You aren't driving an hour because they are in a tiff. Ugh! I feel your pain.
Go enjoy your day off.
The sister took her in. I think it seems reasonable for someone else to pick her. I mean, you can do whatever you want to do. Your choice. I dont' know your mother so maybe she is demanding or overly dramatic or whatever. You have to make that decision. But, if it was me, i would pick her up.
I think I left something out of the story or didn't say it clearly. I have 2 sisters. My younger one who drove my mother to the hospital, and my older one who lives with my mother and had a fight with her.
I'd ask my older sister, who lives with Mom, to please step up and smooth over the fight. And pick Mom up at the hospital.
You shouldn't have to cancel plans with your family over something so petty.
JMHO.
This. Or just tell sister she needs to pick mom up. don'tgive mom a choice.
I see peeps beat me too it. I only say this because she's ok and the sister living with her is close. it's unreasonable to ask you under the circumstances.
-- Edited by Mary Zombie on Tuesday 14th of June 2016 03:31:50 PM
I'd be calling that sister. Man, I've called out mine before.
Honey, flies. Call your sister and be nice. Tell her you know your mom is being a total selfish pain in the butt. Tell her you understand that. Then tell her your plans and you absolutely can't change them and if your sister could please pick up your mom this one time you'd be eternally grateful and you'd owe her big time. Then go buy your sister a nice thank you card, add in a gift certificate for her favorite restaurant, and send it to her. The gift certificate would be well worth not having to deal with this.
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“You may shoot me with your words, you may cut me with your eyes, you may kill me with your hatefulness, but still, like air, I'll rise!” ― Maya Angelou
Oh, yeah SW. I guess I meant call the one that lives with Mom. Not the one who has something she can't cancel. Don't feed the drama. Say, Lizzy? Mom is getting out a 2:00. Go pick her up and straighten out your fight.
You would send your 75 yr old mother home on a bus? Has it occurred to any of u that u might not think this is a big deal but maybe she does? Not everything in life is rational.
You would send your 75 yr old mother home on a bus? Has it occurred to any of u that u might not think this is a big deal but maybe she does? Not everything in life is rational.
But after a while they (older people) start thinking you can just drop everything for them. She started talking to me about if she gets out on thursday, can I leave work to drive her home. My job isn't flexible like that. But she said I have to be able to leave work if its for something important. I don't think her not liking to take cabs is important enough for me to leave work. It's a slippery slope.
It's not rare. It's not constant, but I'm worried that as she gets older she will expect more and more, without trying to do for herself when possible. I think that people (everyone, including older people, and parents) should save the requests for favors for emergencies or at least for things that are more difficult and necessary than avoiding a 5 minute cab ride. But I don't say anything to her, because she will get mad and literally hang up the phone on me. I have a really hard time with that, it's like the silent treatment, it really gets to me.
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I would start by asking your sister who lives with her if she will pick her up. If she wont then you can worry about if you should cancel your plans or not.
It's not rare. It's not constant, but I'm worried that as she gets older she will expect more and more, without trying to do for herself when possible. I think that people (everyone, including older people, and parents) should save the requests for favors for emergencies or at least for things that are more difficult and necessary than avoiding a 5 minute cab ride. But I don't say anything to her, because she will get mad and literally hang up the phone on me. I have a really hard time with that, it's like the silent treatment, it really gets to me.
Have you talked to your older sister about picking her up, sweet tooth?
It's not rare. It's not constant, but I'm worried that as she gets older she will expect more and more, without trying to do for herself when possible. I think that people (everyone, including older people, and parents) should save the requests for favors for emergencies or at least for things that are more difficult and necessary than avoiding a 5 minute cab ride. But I don't say anything to her, because she will get mad and literally hang up the phone on me. I have a really hard time with that, it's like the silent treatment, it really gets to me.
Have you talked to your older sister about picking her up, sweet tooth?
Not yet. I know it sounds wimpy, but I think my mother will get mad at me if I do, because of their stupid fight.
Ok but what if she is needy at this stage of life? Maybe that is true. The Bible says Do not despise thy mother when she is old. I think it is interesting that is said specifically .
Ok, but by that rationale, I can ask my 25 year old son to drive me places, even if I had other options like a cab. But I wouldn't do that to him without a darn good reason, especially if he took the day off and had plans with other people.
And yes the Bible says that but it also says to parents "do not exasperate your children."
True, but I think that people try to start using the "old" card way too soon.
I think people should be in their 80s before they start using that. Not just for getting people to do things for them. Also for saying things that they never could have got away with saying when they were younger. You'll hear an older person saying some really awful, rude comment about someone, and everyone says "it's ok, she's old". I'm not talking about my mother here, she doesn't do this.
I think an older person has an obligation to not be a burden inasmuch as they can control it. That's how I'm going to be when I'm older (again, until it's no longer an option).
I see your point. But some 75 yr olds ARE old. Some are in good health. Roles change. Elderly parents may decline and sometimes act childish. You may have to set boundaries. Was your mom a good mom to u and your sibs?
She was a pretty good mom, but she got angry and pouty very easily. She was widowed when we were teenagers and has been resentful ever since, and feels like the world, including us kids, owes her for that. It's like she doesn't understand that when she lost a husband, I lost a father. She only thinks about how it affected her. And it's been decades, it's time to make peace with it.