Stale Conversation - Page 2

hckynut · ‎03-10-2010

@Xivambala wrote:
I am in my 60's and I do not. I leave the past where it belongs, in the past and prefer to live in the moment. My mother who is in her 80's does this all the time. She frequently asks if remember this, that and something else. Sometimes I remember and sometimes I don't. It becomes a boring conversation. I would never tell her how annoying this is as she won't be here forever.
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"She is a wealth of family history and I have asked her several times to document this for me (only child here). I hope she follows through".

@Xivambala

Have you offered to help your mother document her history? My wife did that with her mother, who died at 91 five years ago. Her mother started with where she was born and followed through with as many things as she remembered.

She named it "Her Name History". I took it off the computer and saved it on a Thumb Drive and a DVD. My wife just read it this week because her mother died on the 13th, 1 month before her 92nd birthday. Something to think about

I too am in my 80's and most people I chat with, including family, don't consider me boring. They mostly talk right along with me, I guess that's a sign, no?

hckynut(john)

hckynut(john)

hckynut · ‎03-10-2010

@Sooner wrote:
I've always tried to be polite, but my mother and her sisters could absolutely bore me to death with stuff about when they were kids. Good grief!

My husband is bad about it, and I try to be polite, but it is really getting old and I think we are going to have to discuss this. I don't think anybody ever wants to hear very much about the good old days.

I don't!

@Sooner

I do! Send 'em my way! 😎

hckynut

hckynut(john)

GenXmuse · ‎05-15-2016

I actually enjoy when my parents talk about the past. I appreciate hearing about their memories, experiences, and perspective that has given them. My mother has Dementia and its amazing the things she remembers that I never knew, like her first concert was Johnny Cash when he came to her college. I know the day will come when I will miss talking about anything with them.

tends2dogs · ‎05-08-2010

You didn't mention if it was just your kids and family present. How often do you get together? Personally, I think it is great if your kids want to know about past family things. So many kids now adays don't care about such things. I know that my DH's son could care less and so could his kids.

I suppose it is better than a heated discussion about politics, Covid, the present day news.

I can't take your side on this, @Susan in California . Be happy they want to be with you and weren't staring at their phones the whole time. It sounds like you have a lot to be happy about and (blessings, too).

Fear not Brothers and Sisters! I have read THE BOOK..........we win!!!

Teddie · ‎03-10-2010

My brother and sister-in-law were just here visiting a few days. We are close and close in age. Whether we talk on the phone or get together, we always have lots to talk about, including what’s going on now but we enjoy talking about things from our past, too. With both our parents gone, there’s a certain comfort for both of us in still being able to talk about different subjects we each lived through like no one else.

Mary Bailey · ‎03-09-2010

I know I talk about DH way too much. I'm boring as H#LL I try not to do it but I have nothing else. He usually stays home. I mostly go places alone.

bikerbabe · ‎03-09-2010

No. I have plenty of carefully edited, hair-raising work stories.

BlueFinch · ‎08-31-2019

It's hard not to talk about memories of our past. After all, they were the building blocks of who we eventually became -- our personal history.

Problem is, we forget that OUR history can be boring for many, unless our stories are captivating, from that of an extraordinary life, but that's not most of us.

Seniors begin to lose short term memory and focus on remote memories. It's an aging process, but I feel it's also the realization that when they're gone, their memories and much of their history will be, too.

They're hoping some of what they're saying will not be lost. They're also looking for validation that their life was meaningful to others. I saw this firsthand, with my mother a few years before overt cognitive decline. So, I listened, and listened...

Wiscfan3 · ‎05-28-2015

I love to listen to and talk about stories from the past. I do not find it boring at all, and maybe your family enjoys it too. My mom and my in-laws always talked a lot about the past and I wish they were here now to continue doing so. It is also fun to discuss the past with siblings and see how we each viewed the same event from our unique perspectives in the family. Just be you, and talk about whatever you want. Your family is most likely just happy to spend time with you and are not evaluating your conversation topics.