Do your parents do this?

[Deleted]

Tell you stories about people you barely know and definitely don't care about? Like, "Your aunts best friends daughter had to have an emergency root canal yesterday. Poor thing!"

I feel bad saying I don't care, but... Yeah, no, I could not care less. Lol

[Ohhmm(bligo)]

Yeah, but she doesn't give all those titles. She just mentions them by name, and I say, "WHO?", trying to prove that I have no idea and therefore couldn't give a shit, but she just adds all the titles in then and continues.

[fernweh]

She used to. But now she has a grandchild so now she just tells me about everything he does 6 or 7 times.

[papie]

yes omg. Sometimes it's people I knew years ago, which isn't SO bad (although still boring). But a lot of times it's their employees. And it's like "Remember what happened to Noemie? I still can't believe it. Jessica said that it was terrible." MOM. I DON'T KNOW NOEMIE OR JESSICA FFS.

[Deleted]

Feb 5, 2016 11:58:09 GMT -5 Ohhmm(bligo) said:

Yeah, but she doesn't give all those titles. She just mentions them by name, and I say, "WHO?", trying to prove that I have no idea and therefore couldn't give a shit, but she just adds all the titles in then and continues.

Oh yeah, she uses the name, too. And it's like "remember? She came over for that 4th of July party in 1996."

[Alyssa]

Sometimes...

My parents live up in the mountains where they have been part of a tight-knit community since 1983. Everyone knows each other so I will occasionally get an update on someone's son or daughter who I have not seen since 1992. I only have a memory of them being a little kid, so it's hard to relate to an issue like a divorce that they are currently going through.

[jillybean222]

My MIL does this all the time.  Her favorite thing to discuss is other people's cancer.  Did you hear, _________ has cancer?  Nope.

[shamrockshake]

no, my mom is the opposite. "oh I didn't tell you your aunt has cancer? yea, she found out 6 months ago"

JFC lady, could you tell me this shit please

[usuallylurking]

My dad doesn't. But my aunt (his oldest sister) is horrible about it. He comments on it all the time, which is partly why I think he doesn't do it.

[yourmother]

YES. My dad and I moved away from SmallTown, USA when I was 11 years old and he still tells me stories or updates about his friends or whoever from SmallTown. I let him talk, but then remind him that I have no idea who these people are. He continues and I don't want to hurt his feelings by always shutting him down.

Oh. And he always has work stories. I don't care! Again, I don't want to be rude, so I just half-way listen and nod my head.

[Deleted]

Even worse, some of the girls my mom wants to update me on were mean girls who picked on me. I really don't care what happened to them.

[luckyval]

Yes! Except it's usually the same story over and over again. Not only don I NOT care, I've heard this twice already.

[papie]

Feb 5, 2016 12:02:52 GMT -5 @beachbella said:

Yes, but only after starting the conversation with, "What are you doing? Working? Oh, well guess what happened to <insert name of rando I don't know>........."

I SAID I AM WORKING FFS! I DON'T HAVE TIME FOR THIS NOW, MOM!

YES.  Every freaking morning.  I WORK EVERY WEEKDAY.  STARTING IN THE MORNING.  YOU SHOULD KNOW THAT.  

[themysteriouswife]

My mom does this when people die. 

MW do you remember Susie Smith from random place? Her mom's cousin's neighbor died. Then she goes to the funeral home. She is at the funeral homes so much the employees know her by name. It's fucking weird. 

[amberlyrose]

Yes. Growing up in a small town with 1/2 of it being some kind of relation, we get it all the time.

"2nd cousin's daughter on mom's side married your kinder bff's sister! Isn't that crazy!?!"

I don't care, ma.

[wambam]

My mom. All the time.

[bearbaby]

My ILs do this. They are hard cord tragedy whores - so they are always just SEARCHING for bad news to share with us on every visit.

I never know the people, obviously, but even my husband only rarely has even a tangential relationship with the "poor soul" in rotation.

[sandyapples]

My mom usually tells me long boring stories about her horses or people she works with.

[malibu]

Feb 5, 2016 12:08:12 GMT -5 RexManningDay said:

Yes but my grandma is WAY worse

YES. My grandma is terrible with this. She taught oil painting for decades and had numerous students over the years, yet seems to think my mom and I know them all by name like she does. So she'll be telling a story and using a random name, and both my mom and I are like "Who?" My grandma almost gets angry when we don't know who Phyllis is that she taught for three months in 1986.

Or she'll go into detailed stories about her fourth cousin twice removed that she had dinner with one time in 1948, and no one has any clue who the person is except for her.

[circa1978]

OMG, yes. Great aunt Rose's second cousin's daughter or whatever. The last email I got from her informed me that my stepfather's ex-wife's stepmother had died. OK.

[cereal K]

To her credit, she limits the stories to people I personally know, or their immediate family.

My grandma, on the other hand...I'd hear about anyone in the ti-county area!

[Deleted]

My mom does this constantly. Also her most favorite topic is herself. Never bothers to ask how you are but just babbles on about how she is dying from whatever ailment doctor Google has diagnosed her with this week.

[shopgirl07]

Yes. Except she expects that I should know people who I would have zero chance of knowing. I haven't lived in the same city as her in over 20 years. She'll say, "you know Bob Smith from Waste Management right?" No, I don't. I don't know a random 60 year old man who doesn't live anywhere near me.

[Deleted]

This is my mom, all day, every day.

It is somehow comforting to know I'm not alone in this.

[Deleted]

Yes, Mom does it on occasion. But Married Life is worse about it.

[rbp]

My mom is the worst. OMG. I know way too much about her friend's daughter's prom date. WTF

ETA: Is this a mom thing? How do we keep from being like this in 30 years?? Sob.

[Deleted]

Feb 5, 2016 12:29:42 GMT -5 @stalkermom said:

Well, in defense of your parents, we like talking to you but we're old and kinda boring so we run out of things to say. We have to grasp at straws for interesting stories to keep your interest. Take it as a sign of how much your parents enjoy talking to you. Just sayin'......

I know, that's why I don't tell her that I don't care.

[rbp]

Feb 5, 2016 12:04:07 GMT -5 jillybean222 said:

My MIL does this all the time.  Her favorite thing to discuss is other people's cancer.  Did you hear, _________ has cancer?  Nope.

My mom is always telling me who died in my hometown. Womp womp.

[Deleted]

Feb 5, 2016 11:56:08 GMT -5 @jezebel said:

Tell you stories about people you barely know and definitely don't care about? Like, "Your aunts best friends daughter had to have an emergency root canal yesterday. Poor thing!"

I feel bad saying I don't care, but... Yeah, no, I could not care less. Lol

YES! Her BF is from a HUGE and very social family. They are always at a birthday party or card night or get together. So them she tells me stories about "Deb's cousin Donna's neighbor Lu-Ann tripped & fell & sprained her left ankle two weeks ago Tuesday so now she missed Johnnie Jr & Carrie Ann's suprise going away party for Lil' Ronnie at Toni & Vick's place!!! "

I know NONE of these people

[walterismydog]

Yes. It's so annoying. So-and-so's brother's sister's aunt died! So sad. She was 95.

NO. Stop it.

Yet she forgets to tell me important information, such as the time she forgot to tell me she was going to Paris. THAT WOULD HAVE BEEN GOOD TO KNOW.