Anonymous wrote:Truly, take a breathe. He has limited things to talk about.

Agree. Poor guy. He's not trying to be condescending. He genuinely has discovered something that he might like, a new hobby, which is cooking for himself since your mother always did it so it's sort of a new world and a new obsession for him. He's not challenging you or calling you stupid. Please be a kind daughter and just adjust your perspective. Could give you something for the two of you share. Has he started watching cooking shows? Does he know anything about social media? Maybe you could both share recipes back-and-forth that you find online. And seriously take a breath and stop being a jerk.

Can you frame your response along the lines of, "I'm so glad you're excited about cooking—I've been doing it for so long that it's definitely not fun for me any more. Wish you could cook for me!"

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Sometimes we just have to listen to what they want to talk about. Were you super interested in dinosaurs when your kids were? One fiend’s widowed dad loved trains. She still has littles at home and was on a call with him while she talked about trains. Something urgent happened with the kids and she set the phone down, handled kid stuff, and came back to the phone and he was still talking about trains. She has a lovely husband who would alternate calls with her. Just tune out and yes and nod at intervals and enjoy still having your parent.

This. Pretend he’s a toddler, and just smile and nod. And yea, I know it’s obnoxious of me to say this, but count your blessings.

OR... acknowledge he's an adult with a new interest, and talk to him about it like you would someone else who is enthused by something that you don't find interesting. This idea that you should treat your elderly parents like toddlers is really patronizing to someone who raised you from infancy.