Posted by Dinah on December 27, 2002, at 9:23:19
In reply to Re: Not quite far enough from family., posted by Tabitha on December 27, 2002, at 2:47:42
> She wants me to say things like "when you interrupt me or change the subject, it makes me think you don't care about my life", or some such therapy-speak.
You're right. That doesn't cause a lot of change. It works best when you can use it as a broken record, but that would mean being in more contact with him. Not what you had in mind. Even then it rarely makes any difference other than to make you feel better. I haven't found that people change. Works great on kids though.
> I said no to both requests, and he complained about it for years. It really got tiring. I find it even harder to say no to dad & wife, since they're superficially nicer.
If you do it politely, with great concern for their comfort and finding them a reasonably priced hotel and a list of things to occupy them when you are so unfortunately tied up at work their superficial niceness should prevent them from making your life miserable about it. Hey, use their character flaws against them!!
> That would be a tough call, would I trade places with an oblivious yet superficially happy person? Dunno. Naw.
>No, me neither. Perhaps superficially happy has to be accompanied by oblivious.
poster:Dinah
thread:34007
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/social/20021226/msgs/34073.html