Oh totally, I understood. But I do think it helps to see things from their effed POV, if only to avoid getting trapped in it again! I think that was the issue, I thought that a rational “no” would suffice, as it would with my normal family. I didn’t consider that it would only be the beginning of the battle.

It’s def a weird mindset. WE ARE YOUR PARENTS, OBEY. Well, we are almost thirty, so maybe no? Good point though, they totally hold to this, which is very different from my fam. Good idea about that subreddit. I doubt his mom is diagnosable, but she absolutely looks out for number one only. I’m spoiled in that my…

Always be ready for the worst is def my motto about these people.

OMG, I am very much looking forward to reading through this. And anticipating there are stories that will make mine seem lovely! Bless you.

That’s a helpful point. It is easier just to make everyone deal with her than to make a real effort to change things. I guess people just get used to their version of normal, and I know they resent me because my partner is their only “normal” kid, and they want him to be available at all times to them. I think they…

Yeah, they are...exceptional. They take the “it takes a village to raise a child approach”, which does not apply to adults. We have set good boundaries in the last year and, while she tries to continue to push and push, we have been surprisingly effective in pushing back. I fear the future because they are older and…

That’s not what I want to hear, but what I need to hear. They are out of town, we don’t see them often, so I just need to minimize contact and be pleasant. Why is it so hard for me to be pleasant? It is so much easier to be crabby. Thanks for your advice!! You got two for the price of one with that therapy :)

Ugh, yeah, I wish. I love my partner a lot and am trying to let it go, but it is hard because I am the type of person who would rather hash things out. But thanks for commiserating!! It was weird to me how nonchalant his mom was about the whole thing, it almost made me feel like I was the crazy one.

I am so truly sorry. Cats are the literal best, and it sounds like you two have an amazing bond. Sending my best thoughts toward her. I hope she pulls through.

Might get lost in the grays but need some advice. My boyfriend of three years and I are visiting his parents in the near future. I have, shock of all shocks, some issues with his mom. She has been weird and controlling in some respects, but mostly on par with most of my friends’ MILs. There was one thing that happened…

XOXOXOXOXO.

Gotcha. Panicked because I thought you were referring to the real Martha. :)

Oh eff I thought this was one of those “your heroes are all actually horrible” moments.

NO PLEASE WHY.

Ugh I feel the same way, it’s like Martha was created from scratch specifically to thrill me almost every single day. Thrilled by her again, typical Wednesday.

I like her music and have nothing against her but, holy lord, everything about her seems so manufactured it is hard to imagine her in private. Like with all those staged pictures with her famous friends it looks amazing and fun but WHAT OCCURS AFTER THE CAMERAS GO AWAY. Like, do they all just go home? After she and…

She is gorg, flawless, whatever, but even wearing the sexiest outfit imaginable...nothing. Devoid of anything even remotely sexual. I cannot understand how it is possible.

god bless you.

So sorry you are hurting. Truly. I feel the same way in the midst of tragedy, because the thought that death isn’t final must be so comforting to the religious.

UGH that is awful. That is the dumb part of dental insurance, it doesn’t really cover major expenses, and the stuff it does cover costs the same just to pay out of pocket. Our broker describes it as just passing money back and forth. Pointless. Someone here recommended a health savings account, which I now have, or…