The Parade of Family Dysfunction

[KitchenWitch]

I had been meaning to call my aunt (my mom's sister) for about a week to see how she has been (my cousin, her son, died on Christmas Eve 2006). So, today's call from my mom, telling me that she was going in for emergency surgery was just the impetus to get the phone call to my aunt off my to do list.

So I call my aunt, all is as well as can be expected on her end, and we chatted about that for a little while. She then asks me how I am, I tell her that I am freaking about my mom a little. "What is wrong with your mom?" she asks.

I told her that she had gone back in for another surgery. "ANOTHER surgery? I had not heard about the FIRST one!" was her response.

OOOOPS, I fucking let the cat out of the bag. So I called my dad, told him what happened. His response was, "That is what she gets for trying to keep this a secret from her sisters."

Meanwhile my aunt has called my other two aunts and told them about it.

So here I am thinking, "Oh shit, now my mom is going to be really pissed at me for 'spilling the beans'."

I just got a phone call from my mom, who was laughing hysterically (maybe the drugs, maybe not). Apparently the aunt I talked to earlier today had just called her, and read her the riot act for not telling all the sisters what was going on with her.

My mom actually apologized to me for putting me in such an awkward position.

:rofl:

I think I have had enough drama for one day.

[merh]

1. dayum, that sounds like my family

are you one of my nieces??? :freak: :shrug:



:hug: :hug: <<<<< for all the drama :loveya:

[Wapsie B]

2. That'll teach me to read the thread title a little closer.

When you said dysfunction that wasn't what I was thinking of. :rofl:

[AwakeAtLast]

3. OMG, that is my grandmother!

God rest her soul, but she did the exact same thing!

She had a full hysterectomy back in the early '70's (so it was no picnic) and told the whole family AFTER SHE HAD BEEN HOME FROM THE HOSPITAL FOR 2 WEEKS!

:wtf:

I mean, I knew she was stubborn and would never accept help, but damn did that take the cake!

O. K., now I will tell you what I *thought* this thread might contain: pictures of the Bush family! :rofl:

:rofl: :rofl: :rofl:

[deadparrot]

4. Reminds me of my grandma and her three sisters.

Always bickering. Especially about who's going to die first.

And of course, my aunt just called our house drunk to tell us that she just talked to my grandmother's best friend while drunk. :eyes:

Ah, family.

[SeattleGirl]

5. I finally trained my family to keep me in the loop!

They live 300 miles from me, and my mom has several health problems that put her in the hospital sometimes. Once, I called her, and the guy she used to live with answered the phone. When I asked to speak with her, he said, well, she's not home yet. I said, oh, is she visiting one of my sisters? He said no, she's not home from the hospital yet, and probably won't be for another day or so.

WHAAAAAAAAAAT???????? Nobody told me she was in the hospital (she had been in since the day before.....).

I called one of my sisters, and she thought the other sister was going to call me. THAT sister thought the first sister was going to call me! Grrf!!! Now one sister is "assigned" to call me if mom isn't doing well.....

And it's MY job to call my mom's brother in North Carolina, to let him know if something is going on with mom.

Family.....yup, gotta love 'em!

[Maddy McCall]

6. Sounds like my dad and his sisters.

They love each other, but they're just not "feely" people.

[wildhorses]

7. secrets--

the glue that binds the family:patriot:

can totally relate:rofl:

[RevCheesehead]

8. Painkillers...

are a gift from God. :)

[CaliforniaPeggy]

9. Life in the family circle!

Whew......you need a vacation from them!

Glad it's all working out......

Out....as in ....the cat's out of the fucking bag!

Hang in there, sweetie!

:hug:

[LeftyMom]

10. My grandmother had a bad habit of doing that to her family

She had cancer removed and then mentioned it in passing a few months later, talking about needing some cream for the scar, which was itching and bothering her. As if it were a mosquito bite, and not a malignancy.

Later I talked with her about how I understood she wanted to keep everybody from worrying but instead she had us worrying all the time, because we never knew if "fine" meant she felt fine or it meant that she'd be going in for surgery the next day. She got a better about communicating her medical situation. I think part of it was that she knew that at her age (she was pushing 90 at this point) she wouldn't be able to make medical decisions privately for a whole lot longer, and partly because she still saw her kids, who are themselves grandparents and great grandparents, as children who needed to be protected from the sad fact that their mother wouldn't live forever.

[Robeson]

11. All par for the course. Welcome to the DSA....

....Dysfunctional States of America! It's the American way...:patriot:

[mentalsolstice]

12. I have empathy!

I remember having to call my grandmother and telling her my dad, her first-born, was going to have a by-pass the next morning (he survived and more so). That was one of my growing up moments (the other was signing off on a death certificate for my husband's best friend (who had died suddenly).

When you're put into these situations...it seems like your sense of humor goes into over-drive, and then you're left wondering if you're the most warped human being on earth. However, with the right friends and family, you'll appreciate your part in your mom's life, and hopefully, ongoing humor.

Best wishes!

[KitchenWitch]

13. Yes - humor is sustaining me right now

Although I am on the precipice between laughing hysterically and sobbing uncontrollably at the moment.

:o

[mentalsolstice]

14. I'm at the edge with you

Come on, laugh...dammit laugh!

[idgiehkt]

15. I can totally identify with that

:rofl:

They could at least wait a couple days before they dress her down, lol.

[KitchenWitch]

16. But then there would be no drama!

[idgiehkt]

17. true

and the drama-trons gotta have the drama, or they get the shakes, lol.

:rofl: