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  Posted to group - Should I Stay or Should I Go    <<Previous    Next>>

Trying to make Thanksgiving plans

Lately I have been wondering just when people who decided to get a divorce came to that decision. What was the final thing that made them say,"that's it". My friend C told me once that it was when his (now ex)wife got her third boyfriend! I don't have anything that obvious staring me in the face. Then again, maybe I do have signs that I am just ignoring. This week, my husband and I talked about plans for Thanksgiving. He said he wanted a quiet, low-key kind of day. Sounds good to me. I work in healthcare, so, lucky me, I have to be at work that day 4-12, but I figure we can still have a nice meal together at about 1 or 2pm. I asked what he wanted to do and he said anything, as long as it did not involve my Mom. Ouch. The woman is almost 70 and if she does not spend the holiday with me, she will most likely spend it alone. My siblings are not close to her and I doubt that they will even invite her to be part of their holiday plans. Last year she came here and I put her up in a hotel about a ten minute walk from here. We hung out together during the day and I still got to spend time alone with my husband at night and get a good night's sleep. I thought that it went well and figured that we would do the same thing this year. In D's defense, she is bipolar and does not take medication to manage her illness. She can be annoying and will probably talk way too much, but it is only a couple of days. My job involves working with mentally ill people, so I have a higher tolerance for certain behavior and am used to dealing with her. I work with far worse 5 days a week(and that's just the staff, ha ha) The reality is that she is the only Mom that I have and I choose to accept her as she is and try to have some good times with her. We have more good days than bad days. We usually spend Christmas with D's family, so I think of Thanksgiving as the holiday that I spend with my Mom. I guess that I am answering my own question here. I can get another husband someday. I only have one Mom.

by meteor   488 Posts 
Posted on 9/20/2008 11:00 PM
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Tags: deciding , holidays


Answers for "Trying to make Thanksgiving plans"  (14) (You must be logged in to answer)




At least your talking turkey instead of stuffing.  It's good that he is coming around but then again he made the comment about not hanging out with her while you are working, he needs to be more supportive even though he wants to eat with you he can and should offer more.  I will sit at the lions den on thanksgiving and wait, it might be nice for you to bring me his dinner.  Hugs.....
by Departed   571 Posts
Posted on 9/22/2008 6:38 PM
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I brought this up to D again today.  We were in the supermarket, looking at the meat section and saw turkey.  He said, "Hey, maybe we should just cook a turkey breast for Thanksgiving instead of a whole turkey."  So, technically, he brought it up.  I suggested putting up Mom in the hotel.      He said"Whatever you want, but don't expect me to hang out with her while you are at work." Okay.  So, he did come around a bit.  Maybe the three of us will even have a good time.   

Jhs, guys are welcome at this party, too!  I never thought that I would end up laughing so hard about this when I started to write about it.  Mom is actually pretty darn functional, even though she is bipolar.  She can be quite charming and friendly, too.  People tend to love my Mom when they first meet her.  Then, she wears them out!  My family tends to be more affectionate than D is used too.  It's pretty funny watching him when my relatives hug and kiss him.  I had to ask Mom not to pinch his cheeks anymore. 

All joking aside...we are talking about three days out of his life.  I think that last Thanksgiving is the last time he spent time with my Mom(I tend to visit her on my own).  His selfishness is starting to tick me off.  I hate to play the comparison game, but...my ex-boyfriend used to sit for hours with Mom, playing Scrabble, drinking tea, talking, etc.  I know she annoyed him sometimes, but he just shrugged it off and accepted her.  He got it.  Why can't D?     

by meteor   488 Posts
Posted on 9/21/2008 11:46 PM
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Lunch?!? The lions have already been fed! Head for the bar and cebrelate (er...celebrate).

Oh, sorry, this seems to have been an all girl party before I crashed it.

"All seriousness aside" as I'm fond of saying...

Meteor, do what you feel is right WRT spending time with your mom. I think you should be with her, so long as she knows who you are and is aware of her surroundings. She may not be the most pleasant company with whom you could spend the holiday weekend, but she is your one and only mom.

If your husband can't support you in that (and what are you talking about...3 days out of 365?) maybe that qualifies him to reach the status of STBX? Probably cruel for me to say, eh? But come on. If this is the way things are, why not head for the lion pits!
by jhs   555 Posts
Posted on 9/21/2008 12:57 AM
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Lunch, then drinks, we got a date
by Departed   571 Posts
Posted on 9/21/2008 12:13 AM
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Sounds perfect.  Hey, we can go for lunch afterwards!
by meteor   488 Posts
Posted on 9/21/2008 12:12 AM
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Hell, lets do this:  Lions, tigers and bears oh my.....  Let me know what day you want to go and I will make sure their feeding pattern is held for a few days prior to his visit and then we will go by a t-shirt at the gift shop
by Departed   571 Posts
Posted on 9/21/2008 12:07 AM
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They have lions, too. 
by meteor   488 Posts
Posted on 9/21/2008 12:04 AM
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Maybe you should take him back there and see if the tigers are still intrested
by Departed   571 Posts
Posted on 9/21/2008 12:00 AM
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Oh no, I just remembered that my husband asked me to marry him at our local zoo(near the tiger cage, his favorite spot).  My Mom said that maybe he was thinking that he would jump in the cage and let the tigers eat him if I said no. 
by meteor   488 Posts
Posted on 9/20/2008 11:58 PM
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LOL, yeah we all have those parents that would not understand and my mom paid for my lawyer and wants the STBX to pay for everything he has done to her baby girl, I sometimes wish I didn't tell her everything because it is hard for her as well since her and my father were in love and he  ended up divorcing her, so she is like your mother as well.  You liked that zoo picture, it just amazes me how the animals there have no cares in the world, maybe I should check my local zoo and see if they have a space for me, would love to scratch and sniff in public and have people pay to watch....
by Departed   571 Posts
Posted on 9/20/2008 11:38 PM
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Mom has her problems, but she has always tried to be there for me.  My parents split up when I was 9 and in an odd way, I understand both of them better now that I am going through my own marital problems.  I have not talked about this with her, because I think that it is more than she can handle right now.  She probably knows more than I think.  I like the image of the caged animals scratching themselves, by the way!
by meteor   488 Posts
Posted on 9/20/2008 11:33 PM
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The only thing that needs to be controlled are toys with remotes, sure hang out, but a dysfuntional family is always more fun then the circus, I have a family that can make a trip to the zoo more fun then the caged animals scratchy their butts. Do what you have to do to make piece in the room as you hang out but don't close your family out for they were there before and will be after so no matter how crazy they maybe they are always going to be their to support you rather you think they are meaning right and or wrong, they are going to be the ones there when all this is ended and your new life has started
by Departed   571 Posts
Posted on 9/20/2008 11:19 PM
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Thank you, departed.  If it comes down to it, the two of us can just hang out together at her hotel for a few days.  If D wants to sulk alone in the apartment, I guess he can.  Maybe he'll come around.  I dislike the thought of being kept away from my family, as dysfunctional as it may be(hey, we put the fun in dysfunctional..)  It strikes me as controlling behavior and I am not fond of being controlled. 
by meteor   488 Posts
Posted on 9/20/2008 11:15 PM
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Everyone has their good days and bay days with their parents that is what life is all about, but your mother is your mother and that is never going to change.  Have turkey day with your mom and spend some R and R with her and make a new tradition this year and make sure that you remember that you will have a lot to be thankful for this year so make those plans and memories.
by Departed   571 Posts
Posted on 9/20/2008 11:04 PM
0







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