Tuesday, November 30, 2010

and now for something completely different

Did I tell you Led Zep Girl's daughter left college a couple weeks into her first semester because of panic attacks, inability to live in the dorm, etc? Why this girl would rather come home and live with her mother, who is as far as I can see an absolute witch to her, I dunno. I myself would not be homesick for a parent who had absolutely no compassion towards or empathy for me. Nevertheless, she came home, got a part time retail job, and is going to transfer to a local college next semester. Led Zep Girl also has the kid doing copious amounts of housework for her in, I suppose, lieu of rent, but more so as punishment, because she is so pissed at her for coming home.

Today she went on and on about how the kid is sleeping till 3 pm, then rushing around to do the things she's supposed to be doing before she goes to work. Apparently some big blowout occurred because she then had laundry in the washer at some point where Led Zep Girl wanted to use it. First of all?--and I speak from experience here--when you are cohabiting with an adult child, if they are holding up their part of the contract and doing what they are supposed to do, you have no right to try to control and micromanage them into doing it your way, on your schedule. Secondly, when you are cohabiting with an adult child, you need to approach things with a bit of flexibility just as you would when living with any other adult. (Clue: LZG's been divorced *twice*.) If someone other than yourself is also doing laundry in your home, you must be prepared that sometimes they'll be doing it when you'd like to too. What is the big fucking deal? Chillax. It's better for your health.

The fact that *my* kid keeps sending me texts in the middle of the night so he doesn't forget to tell me whatever and then the tone invariably wakes me up? THAT is worth bitching about. Ha! (Not really. But has the current generation lost the ability to write a note on a piece of paper and stick it on the refrigerator? Is that a goddamn lost art or something? Sigh.)

xoxo

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

You need to set your cell phone to vibrate when you go to sleep... which could prove useful in other ways, anyway.

The rest: I think the divorced-times-two speaks volumes. Though that also would match up with married-times-two, so I guess LZG occasionally does some thing right in adult relationships. :-)

malevolent andrea said...

If I silent my phone, will it also silent my alarm? Because that's reason I sleep with the phone 6 inches from my head.

And as for LZG, I know I am the last person who should be snarking on other people's relationship failures, but really, she is *so* difficult. Not a bad person, just so controlling. I couldn't imagine trying to live with her.

Uncle said...

You could try putting the input on vibrate and test drive the alarm to see what happens. I think you can do two modes (as I do for voice and text)...say the vibrator for, y'know, messages and a crowing rooster for the alarm.

But amen to adaptation around adult children, having experienced that as the adult child (who couldn't WAIT to get out!) and as the parent. Adjust: it may elude you, but they are adults and, as you say, LZG will live longer if she does.