Anonymous wrote:As someone who has gone through years of this, I suggest trying to set up events with people like this where they can host, where they can run things, where they are in their comfort zone so they can shine. And to tell them as little about your problems as possible.

I should add my mom is helpful and fun. It just always has to be on her terms where she can shine. She can't think of others needs. She thinks it's a good idea to discuss the difficulties of the world in the same way she celebrates things in life. There is only one method to life for her. Where she is the star and can talk about her opinions and thoughts openly at any given time. So, I have to plan accordingly to have more of those experiences and less of the ones where she shines in places she shouldn't.

As someone who has gone through years of this, I suggest trying to set up events with people like this where they can host, where they can run things, where they are in their comfort zone so they can shine. And to tell them as little about your problems as possible.

BTW OP it gets worse with age. Their working memory drops and so they have to say everything in their head all at once aloud because otherwise they will forget.

Main character syndrome is what it is and it's in all areas of my life with her, not just this. I guess the best way to deal with a person like this is to always allow them to be the main character in things and try to stay away from activities that don't involve her being the main character. Thanks for putting that into words OP. I'm still struggling with this in other areas that we interact and that's exactly what it is. She's oblivious to others needs except when she is a main character to them. It's funny she's so bored with sports but loves to tell people how much of a supporter she is for this one team that she's never watched. It's more about her support for the team than the team itself. She can't carry on a conversation about the team and what they are doing. Just her support for them. Its so odd. A lot of leader type people are like this I've found. I guess it's the opposite of asking and extreme introvert to be the captain of the team.