Community Chat

[LonestarBabs]

I can't begin to list the odd behaviors throughout the years. My Mom has always been nutty as a fruitcake and now that she has vascular dementia it's even worse. SIGH

[Pook]

It wasn't my mother but my dad and I guess me now to some extent.  He would soak his towels in boiling water before he washed them to sanitize them!  He also would soak his dishes (that he rinsed everything off first) in boiling water before washing them.  I am like him in that I will not wash a dish unless it has been completely rinsed off but no boiling water.  I think that is beause my mother often left a pile of dirty dishes in the sink overnight because she wanted to play games with us (even when we were older and wanted to do them first) and if that wasn't a mess to clean!  I am like her in that I often keep dishes in the sink until morning but they are completely rinsed.   He also wanted his boxer shorts and tees ironed.  Often I had to do his ironing and hated it!  I still iron most things and everything before wearing anywhere though.  I did some odd things like keeping an iron at work to touch up my clothes.  I hate wrinkles but not as much now.  When we had just bought our house we had skeleton keys only for the doors and I would put a chair under the knob and my SO would just laugh and say I ridiculous.  

[shoptilyadropagain]

The only thing I can think of is when it comes to duties in the kitchen, my mom can't think for herself.  Everything she ever made to how she washed and dried the dishes to where she put the dishes in the cabinets, etc.  were all based on how her mom (my grandmother) did it.  I think it's because cooking and kitchen work just isn't her thing so rather than coming up with her own plan on how to do all things regarding the kitchen, she just relied on what she knew.  I'm the opposite....I like to cook (and eat) and am always scouring online for new kitchen gadgets.  My mom, on the other hand, is still using a few of the things she and my dad received as wedding presents or other things they purchased when they were first married.  

She also ALWAYS locked the doors.  Growing up I would be outside playing and want to come in for a quick minute and the door was ALWAYS locked.  I have to admit, I did kinda pick up that habit myself.  

[silkyk]

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@CrazyKittyLvr2 wrote:

that made you chuckle or just shake your head?  When dad was in the hospital and she was alone at night she not only locked front & back doors,she locked herself in the bedroom.  We had a fit. Explained that in an emergencyit would take longer to get to her.

After Dad died she wouldn't sleep with windows open in the summer. It was the 2nd floor, no ladders were around and no roof to climb on to then enter window. For Pete's sake I don't think a burgler is hauling a 10' ladder around with him.

I had a cup of fresh cup of coffee and step out of the kitchen for less than 5 min., came back, no cup.I asked and got "I thought you were done" never mind it was full and steaming. She had the cup washed,dried and put away. It was a thing with her.

In the summer she would be putting the food away while you were eating so no one got sick. If you wanted another helping of coleslaw you had to get out of the frig. Yes,don't leave food out for 2 hrs. but really,

She also washed the dishes before they went into dishwasher. Not scrap and maybe rinse something sticky off, full sink of hot soapy water, rinse in hot water and in they went. My sister and I gave up asking why and would just shake our heads.

and bless her,she was naive about somethings. Can't count the times I said "I am not explaining that to her"

She was a great Mom but she did some weird stuff.

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Yikes! We must be twins or at least our Mom's were. I know exactly what you are talkin'bout. Had to eat fast at our house too...Mom washed dishes before putting in dishwasher....AND took them out and dried them by hand to make sure they were spotless! She never trusted that dishwasher.  LOL...great Moms!

[Laura14]

If you have seen an episode of the Golden Girls and have encountered Sophia, that is my mother, my grandmother and all 8 of her sisters.  They captured the little old Italian woman perfectly! 

Just add in a few more colorful words.  My Italian grandmother was not shy about cursing like a sailor nor was anyone else.  It's all useful adjectives when born and raised in the Northeast.     

[CrazyKittyLvr2]

My Mom also had a black belt in worrying.  She worried about things that might happen and things that had a snow ba**'s chance in hades of happening.

She started locking her doors during the day after her 6'5" cousin came in while  she was running the vaccum (he knocked she couldn't hear it). Called her name when he was behind her and she almost clocked him with turning around swinging the long wand at him.

[CatsyCline]

My mother was and is literally obsessed with cleaning the house. When we were kids she had a chore for each day. She did all of the cleaning. Saturday was wash and wax the kitchen and bathroom floors. It was that wax that took like an hour to dry.

  We had no dryer until i was in middle school.   She hung clothes on the line and when they froze put them on a drying rack.   Everything was ironed and the linen closet was perfectly arranged.    My sister and I were to make our beds and dust in our shared bedroom.  Mom would come and look at my bed and b!tch at me and remake it because i didnt make hospital corners on the sheets. She would re-dust and re-clean. After a while it was like why bother. then she would yell to clean the room.

We could never help in the kitchen, she had zero patience and could do everything faster and she didnt want us underfoot.  even today she's too fast and careless. she slices potatoes in her hand into a pot.    recently,  i found knuckle bandages in the medicne cabinet. she said she had no idea how they got there. she takes a blood thinner yet she gets cuts here and there.  she's very high strung.