Random stuff

[apocalypsos]

-- I think if I learned anything at the family reunion before I stormed out in tears, it's that maybe you should refrain from calling moms who don't breastfeed selfish if you can't remember whether or not the mom sitting next to you breastfed her two kids. Awkward didn't even begin to describe that particular moment.

-- So let's see. First I was annoyed when my relatives would tell me, "We didn't get you anything because we knew you wouldn't get us anything," at Christmas, and now I've got a new trigger in, "Well, maybe you wouldn't be broke if you'd stop spending your money on crap." Oh, I'm sorry. Which useless crap would you like me to stop wasting my money on, electricity or water?

It's just really goddamn annoying when your entire family thinks you're irresponsible, selfish and lazy. I mean, the girl who ran away after she flunked out of college couldn't possibly be depressed, right? *eye roll*

-- Today all I plan to do is make sure I've got a file on my desktop for the original fics I've got planned and straighten up the apartment. Of course, knowing me, I'll probably not get either thing done. *hands in air*

-- I really need to start exercising again, if only because I can't afford to buy new clothes.

Comments

[wer-bin-ich.livejournal.com]

You called someone selfish because they didn't breastfeed their kids?

[apocalypsos.livejournal.com]

Not me, someone else. My aunt was watching her breastfeed her newborn and the breastfeeding mom said that moms who don't breastfeed are just selfish, and my aunt kind of flinched and went, "Huh. I must be really selfish then."

[nycdeb.livejournal.com]

breastfeeding mom said that moms who don't breastfeed are just selfish . . .

wow! Talk about tactless. She's lucky your aunt just flinched. My aunt, who would have loved to have breastfed her own children but was prevented for various medical reasons (theirs and hers) from doing so, would have removed the child gently, placed it in the care of some other adult and then smacked Breastfeeding Mom.

[wer-bin-ich.livejournal.com]

Oh right. Yiiikes. ;)

[nilequeenpatty.livejournal.com]

Dude, I'm sorry. It sounds like you haven't had the best time lately. I can empathize somewhat in that. I also had to drop out of college and quit my retail job (no big loss there) 'cause of depression/anxiety. I now pet sit on a very part time basis and if not for my parents, I'd be living in a van down by the river. However I don't have family members being all judgey and superior toward me and I can't even begin to understand what a crapshoot that must be. So for what it's worth, I hope things get better for you and that your relatives learn how to be more empathetic and less assholeish. As for the exercising, I find kickboxing very stress reducing, as I tend to picture the faces of certain people as my targets:)

PS (And this is going to seem totally random, but please humor me) Do you have an MP3 player and if so, what website do you download your music from? (I swear there's a good reason for asking this)

[nycdeb.livejournal.com]

I'm sorry your relatives are being so tiresome. Mine get that way too. My father's extended family is currently in HIGH DRAMA mode and to say it's getting old is an understatement.

As for relatives who give only to receive - AND announce it - they get what they deserve. Besides, they can't chastise you one moment for spending money on useless crap and then whinge about you not getting them something the next. Well, they CAN but it makes them look stupid. Disown them. Or, here's a money making idea - sell them into slavery. I'm sure there's a website for that somewhere.

If the entire family thinks you are irresponsible, selfish and lazy - it demonstrates that they don't know you very well. Aren't you the one running the pets to the vet when called upon? Aren't you the one looking for a second job? And lazy people do NOT put that much effort into writing. Writing is work. A lot of work.

[random-serious.livejournal.com]

I think if I learned anything at the family reunion before I stormed out in tears

I'm sorry the reunion sucked that hard. Family can really reduce one (wrongly) to a tiny, tiny bug.

[slashfairy.livejournal.com]

much, much huggage, and good wishes.

[fyrdrakken]

I've had that argument with my sister, regarding one's income and what it's going towards. It really really helps if you start off by telling your monthly income and then list how much per month you have to pay for essentials. (At least, it got my sister to drop that angle of attack and scrabble for some other reason for how all her problems were someone else's fault and I was spoiled by our parents besides.) Facts are really nice to fight back with when you're dealing with people's illusions.

Though admittedly it takes a bit of concentration to keep track of the basic arithmetic in the heat of an argument. But I'm betting that with adult family members the odds are fair their income is so much more than yours that you'll be able to kick a major underpinning out of their argument just by saying how small your takehome pay actually is.

[scary-being-me.livejournal.com]

That sucks. I don't know why people act like that. I just don't get it.

I made my niece cry at a Christmas gathering a couple years ago and I felt like a total asshole; and I wasn't even mean to her. We were talking about my deceased mother.

[astrothsknot.livejournal.com]

Families suck. I disowned anyone I didn't share at 50% of my DNA with when I was 17. seriously, any member or my family who didn't contrbute DNA, come out the same vagina or I contributed DNA to, doesn't exist. Christmas is brilliant.

I've got serveral pat replies for the breastfeeding obsessionists, like "It's really selfish to deny the father the joy of feeding his child."

Or

"I tried breastfeeding, but he didn't take to it and wouldn't feed. I'd have persevered, but I decided I'd rather have him alive."

Or "yeah, it was really selfish of me to nearly bleed to death when he was born, instead of feeding him."