Reply to Am I Overreacting?

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]You know what? Sorry. I'm not buying into the "elderly card" here. Unless OP's MIL is in her 70s/80s, let's not automatically assume that "old people be old and can't hear/can't remember."

My MIL is in her early 60s. She repeats not because she's forgetful or hard of hearing or anything, but SELECTIVELY--usually because she wants attention/praise.

For example, she won't repeat something neutral, like "FIL and I saw the new James Bond movie last weekend, and we liked it." But she WILL repeat attention-getting/praise-seeking phrases over and over:
-"I'm just so glad we live close by so we could come watch Larla so you could go to that wedding." (And yes, we already thanked her several times for doing so.)

-"Well, *I* never breastfed, and my kids turned out just FINE." Yes, yes. No one ever said you should have breastfed, MIL, we're just doing this with DC #2 because it worked well for us with DC #1.

-"I know Steve likes these cookies so much, and they're his favorite, and you never have time to bake, Kate, so I brought his favorite cookies." I get it, lady. You brought cookies. We said thank you. Do you need a ticker-tape parade?

[/quote]

OP here...agree with you 100%[/quote]

Poster of the above again: I forgot to add that I just don't give her what she's looking for. I politely smile. That's it. I will sincerely and genuinely thank her ONCE for any nice thing/favor, making sure to look her in the eye and know that she's heard me. Then she repeats...and I just bland smile.

If she says something "negative" like the breastfeeding comment, I'll reply neutrally--once. "Yes, your kids turned out great, and so are mine. It's good that we both found feeding methods that worked for our family." And then when she repeats--she gets a bland smile.[/quote]

This.[/quote]

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