Both of my parents are pre-Boomers, but my mom definitely has some "quirks" that annoy me. The tv choices aren't an issue for me so much, but my mom will be on her i-pad and click on some stupid video on Facebook, and she doesn't use headphones. She complains (to my daughters) about the amount of time I spend on my phone, but she spends far more time on her i-pad than I do in my phone.
At least they don't do paper plates frequently. A few years ago, both of my siblings and their families were visiting them during the summer. So, all meals were for 14 people. Seems reasonable to use disposable plates. Mom bought a bunch of Solo plates, but insisted on washing them (in the dishwasher) every time. Um, hello? That defeats the whole purpose of using disposables, nevermind the fact that Solo plates aren't intended for dishwasher use. We fixed it the next year by pre-emptively buying paper plates for the en-masse visit.
We've talked about your dad and paper plates before, haven't we? I feel like I knew this was a thing with him.
Other than the leftovers this is my parents. My dad is all about leftovers. He'll complain his fries are cold at McDonald's, get new ones and then take the old home. He'll then shove them in a random container (probably a country crock one which you'll never be able to determine what's in it, or which is the actual "butter") until he has to throw them out.
My parents are both awful with the TV. There's usually at least one constantly blasting at their house. The first thing they do on Thanksgiving when they get to my house is turn on the TV. Then dad complains until we turn off the parade or dog show and turn on football. He then rushes through lunch and hurries back to the TV and he's the only one who eats dessert in front of my it too.
My grandma is the one who questions why I don't use paper plates and then my mom gives a very heavy sigh, millennials answer and rolls her eyes at my weird behavior.
My ILs don’t have cable and they have a TV in their main room they hang out in and one in the kitchen that is right next to said room. They put both on the same station and blare them. It honestly drives me to drink. I think my MIL thinks I have some sort of sleep issue because I will go hide in our room there and she assumes I nap. Really I’m just hiding from the CBS. Or the local news. Blaring. On two TVs. One is a slight delay. It truly drives me mad.
My mom’s thing is paper towels. She always needs like 10 of them. I’ll bring her 10 cloth napkins, but she’ll roll her eyes and get 10 paper towels to use instead.
EVERY TIME my ILs visit they make a face at our cloth napkins and ask where the paper napkins are, then go take 3 paper towels instead.
My mother will only drink bottled water. She goes through at least a 24 pack a week and brings them to my house when she visits. She hasn't eaten a vegetable since the 90s, but wouldn't dream of ingesting TAP WATER (we have wonderful water quality).
I can’t handle a TV on all the time. My ILs do this and sometimes it’s multiple TVs. My MIL is also losing her hearing, but refuses to admit it, so turns the TV so loud it makes the rest of us uncomfortable to be in the room. She does this at our house too, grabs the tv remote and turns on random shows SO loud, and gets offended if we say they’re too loud.
I can’t handle a TV on all the time. My ILs do this and sometimes it’s multiple TVs. My MIL is also losing her hearing, but refuses to admit it, so turns the TV so loud it makes the rest of us uncomfortable to be in the room. She does this at our house too, grabs the tv remote and turns on random shows SO loud, and gets offended if we say they’re too loud.
H is always either watching TV or listening to ESPN radio, podcast etc on his phone - so there is ALWAYS noise around him. It drives me crazy and I hate it.
Post by simpsongal on Oct 29, 2018 13:19:34 GMT -5
My parents were born in 1951 and 1952 and neither can use a smart phone or a computer, they can't text message, or even check messages on their flip phones (which they got out of sheer necessity).
We've talked about your dad and paper plates before, haven't we? I feel like I knew this was a thing with him.
Yes. When he visits, he always asks if we have paper plates. I always say no. The funny thing is, we almost always HAVE them. But we just don't USE them for everyday eating. Like when he came up this summer to help us with painting, we used our real plates at our apartment. We did use paper plates over at the house because we hadn't moved yet. So we got takeout and ate on paper plates. To me, that is normal paper plate usage, not eating pancakes on them.
And my in-laws have so much crap in their fridge that they just store the Thanksgiving leftovers in the garage on or the porch because they won't fit. :/
I'm positive that it's because they eat the most questionable food ever. My MIL wanted to eat 3week old cold cuts and leftovers from a party. It isn't healthy. I mean I'm all about leftovers but 3 week old cold cuts?!?!?
Post by phunluvin82 on Oct 29, 2018 13:37:23 GMT -5
My mom complains constantly about how cluttered her (huge) house is and how she needs to get rid of stuff. I'm a semi-minimalist and constant organizer who lives in a one bedroom apartment so, because it's sort of my forte, she will always say that I need to come up there and help her clean out. Well, a few years ago I was home for a while in the summer so I did help her clean out her closet. She got rid of 8 HUGE industrial sized trash bags full of clothes and shoes. Fast forward about 2 years and the closet is just as, if not more, jam packed than previously. Maybe a quarter of the items in there still have tags.
Her and my dad have a thousands of square feet and it's unreal how much stuff is in that house, but yet every time I turn around, they are just buying more and more and more.
ETA: Also, whenever I am home, I usually take it upon myself to clean out their refrigerator only b/c I can't stand it. I will inevitably find condiments, etc, with expiration dates that passed years ago.
Post by pantsparty on Oct 29, 2018 13:43:54 GMT -5
I am HERE for Boomer bashing. They're THE WORST.
My parents actually do a decent job conserving, thanks to my mom. She has always had a focus on recycling and composting - maybe because they brought 5 kids into this world. LOL. However she's a straight-line abortion voter and also believes that there's probably a cure for cancer but the pharmaceutical companies are hiding it, or, FOR REAL, researchers and scientists are getting MURDERED once they discover the cure. JFC.
They bizarrely stay up really late. Like H and I both get up at 5:00 to work out and when they are out, we always go to bed before they do, even though they came from the eastern time zone. It's just weird. GO TO BED OLDS.
And my in-laws have so much crap in their fridge that they just store the Thanksgiving leftovers in the garage on or the porch because they won't fit. :/
My in-laws do this (they live in NH, so it's not an issue, because it's usually freezing out), but then they have to figure out what to do at night so that bears/animals don't eat the leftovers. So they put them in a cooler overnight. Then back out in the morning, because apparently animals only eat at night.
The TV and the condiments is totally my ILs. I didn't realize that was a generational thing. The TV never turns off. If we are eating dinner it is still blaring in the living room. Talking over a TV is my biggest pet peeve.
Also, my inlaws never turn on their living room lights. As the sun sets, that's it. Now we all have to sit around in the dark (with the glow of the TV of course) in the living room. It makes no sense to me!
My parents/aunts/uncles aren't from the US so my family is totally different from my ILs. I guess I just kind of assumed a lot of it was a more "American" way of life, not necessarily a Boomer way of life.
Post by DotAndBuzz on Oct 29, 2018 13:50:36 GMT -5
My parents are boomers, but my dad is more "boomer" than my mom. He drives a Sequoia, and LOVES that damn thing. It's 16 years old, insanely inefficient, and doesn't have any cameras on it, so he's constantly backing into shit. It's becoming a problem, but he won't give it up.
My ILs, however, are ridiculous. Ditto the paper plates and disposable....everything. Every single time MIL visits, she asks if I want her to bring paper plates so I don't have to do dishes. Um, no. I own plates. You bought them for me for my wedding. We'll use those. And it pisses her off to no end that I use cloth napkins and dish rags instead of sponges (hork) and paper napkins. Like, I'm the one washing them, it's not a big deal, get over it. I can't wait to see her reaction to my lack of ziplock baggies for lunches. heh.
We also recently cut cable, so now she's not sure what I could possibly be doing with all my time. She literally watches food network and golf all day. FIL isn't sure she'll be able to stay with us since she won't be able to just flip through the channels. We have youtube TV, but you have to deliberately select a channel to watch with that, instead of just mindlessly flip.
They also "downsized" from their 6000sq ft custom build home to a 4000 sq ft McMansion. It's just them. They have so.much.shit.in.that.house. And since they've been there 12 years, everything is now "outdated" and it's time to re-do everything. They built this house too, put everything exactly how they wanted it, and now are re-doing everything.
They bizarrely stay up really late. Like H and I both get up at 5:00 to work out and when they are out, we always go to bed before they do, even though they came from the eastern time zone. It's just weird. GO TO BED OLDS.
I think my ILs are a little too old be boomers (I think they are right on the end of the silent generation) but they do not sleep! They are up at like 6 and frequently don’t go to bed until 1-2 am. It’s exhausting! They don’t nap and talk really loudly all night. We stopped staying with them because of it.
My mom’s thing is paper towels. She always needs like 10 of them. I’ll bring her 10 cloth napkins, but she’ll roll her eyes and get 10 paper towels to use instead.
My stepfather does this. He goes through a roll of paper towels about every other day, whereas we take a month to use one. I have no idea what he is doing with him, but I suspect he's using them to dry the dishes, even though we have about 15 dish towels, and 2 are hanging up in the kitchen at all times.
My mom air dries her dishes, but my stepmom uses paper towels to dry dishes and clean her counters.
Hating on Boomers is my favorite! My mom’s oldest brother is the beginning of the Boomers and my mom is the tail end. I was out where they live (she had just moved to the same town as her brother) and the weekend was exhausting. I had to hear all about how millenials don’t care about keeping things, we’re not sentimental, meanwhile my mom’s new condo is filled to the brim with boxes of shit that no one needs to be holding on to and it’s totally stressing her out, but the millenials are the ones with the problem.
They were all also shocked that I know anything about current events even though I don’t watch a 24/7 news channel.
AND every time we went somewhere, my uncle would say, “You can follow us.” Or try to insist my aunt ride with us to tell us where to go and then proceed to give me turn by turn directions for the entire trip. I’m like, “I have a fucking tiny computer in my pocket called a smartphone, WE’RE GOOD.”
They also "downsized" from their 6000sq ft custom build home to a 4000 sq ft McMansion. It's just them. They have so.much.shit.in.that.house. And since they've been there 12 years, everything is now "outdated" and it's time to re-do everything. They built this house too, put everything exactly how they wanted it, and now are re-doing everything.
A few years ago my inlaws finished their 1200 sq/ft basement. They have lived there for 20 years and are probably borderline hoarders. It took DH and FIL almost a year to clear out the basement so they could finish it. But they just moved everything to a storage unit. Heaven forbid something got thrown away. And now 2.5 years later it is full with all new crap. Last year my MIL bought a new Christmas tree for the basement at an AFTER Christmas sale and then came home, opened it up, and decorated it. After Christmas! Guess what never came down and is now buried behind crap? Did I mention that they also filled a storage unit when they moved into this house 20 years ago and are still paying rent on it? I can't even imagine what will happen when they pass and we are stuck trying to deal with all this stuff.
And my in-laws have so much crap in their fridge that they just store the Thanksgiving leftovers in the garage on or the porch because they won't fit. :/
Every year I have to clean out my dad's fridge before Thanksgiving so we can fit all the groceries and/or prepped food in there. He keeps trying to convince us to use the garage for food storage and refuses to listen to me that it's not cold enough in Texas do that without giving everyone food poisoning.
My dad adores the show Blue Bloods and he just can't stop going on and on about how it's the only show he makes a point of watching every week and loves everyone on it. He also loves to have the TV blasting at top volume the whole time we're over to visit although thankfully he's started turning off the Fox News when we're over with DS because my dad's rage would stress him out as a toddler.
My dad and inlaws always answer their phones no matter what then get extremely angry when it's a telemarketer or spam caller and freak out about being on the Do Not Call list. I've been telling them for years to ignore calls they don't know but they refuse to do so and spend their days permanently pissed.
Also, my inlaws never turn on their living room lights. As the sun sets, that's it. Now we all have to sit around in the dark (with the glow of the TV of course) in the living room. It makes no sense to me!
My dad seems to be the opposite. They seem to think that we need BLINDING LIGHTS on all the fucking time. Like if I sit down to eat something in a dimly lit room because it's 6am and I'm exhausted because my daughter hasn't been sleeping well and I just want to sit in a dimly lit room, they are somehow super concerned that I can't see the cheese enchilada I microwaved (yes, I DID eat it for breakfast). Like, guys, it's cool. If I need more light, I'll turn one on. And if I can't figure out the lights, I'll ask you.
I dont think my parents or ILs are super typical boomers. Minimal paper plate usage going on but they are glued to their phone/tablet and tvs. Nobody pays attention to the kids really, and we live far away so we only see them a few days a year.
They bizarrely stay up really late. Like H and I both get up at 5:00 to work out and when they are out, we always go to bed before they do, even though they came from the eastern time zone. It's just weird. GO TO BED OLDS.
I think my ILs are a little too old be boomers (I think they are right on the end of the silent generation) but they do not sleep! They are up at like 6 and frequently don’t go to bed until 1-2 am. It’s exhausting! They don’t nap and talk really loudly all night. We stopped staying with them because of it.
My grandparents were like this (they were born in the 20s, so DEFINITELY not boomers lol.) But as my mom was growing up they would put a pot of coffee on at 11 at night and drink the whole thing and then go to bed. In their 70s and 80s they stopped with the coffee but they would still stay up until midnight. My grandmother would have so many thoughts on the 11pm news and late shows etc. My grandfather slept in until 7ish, 8ish if he was lucky but my grandmother was always up at 6.
Post by StrawberryBlondie on Oct 29, 2018 14:36:32 GMT -5
Up until about 5-6 years ago, my parents had an argument for needing one SUV - when they regularly had to drive 20 miles through a windy country road in the winter, even when snowing.
They didn't have an SUV then, though. That's been a recent development.
AND every time we went somewhere, my uncle would say, “You can follow us.” Or try to insist my aunt ride with us to tell us where to go and then proceed to give me turn by turn directions for the entire trip. I’m like, “I have a fucking tiny computer in my pocket called a smartphone, WE’RE GOOD.”
I hate to break it to you all, but much of what you all are describing are not just Boomer problems, they are most-of-America-regardless-of-age problems.
I hate to break it to you all, but much of what you all are describing are not just Boomer problems, they are most-of-America-regardless-of-age problems.
This sounds like my mom and ILs. My mom always uses paper plates and doesn’t understand why I always use the real plates at her house, and why we don’t use any at my house. And the tv and iPad - sheesh, give the electronics a break! Last time she stayed at my house, she spent a huge chunk of time that my kiddos were awake on her iPad in the guest bedroom and then wondered why I called her out on it. Seriously, this is why your youngest grandchild doesn’t know you and won’t willingly go to you.
My ILs also always have the tv on, and it’s so loud as to FIL has lost some hearing but refuses to do anything about it. And he’s a paper towel overuser. I tell DH that we need to hide our paper towels before they come over, but we invariably forget. One roll will last us 4-6 months or more, unless my FIL comes over, and then he’ll go through half a roll or more in one afternoon.
I hate to break it to you all, but much of what you all are describing are not just Boomer problems, they are most-of-America-regardless-of-age problems.