People who repeat themselves - lighthearted

I agree. But “getting old is not for sissies” rings true…. Forgetting what one has dais is one of the hazards - unless they have been like that most of their life. In which case they talk a lot because they are lonely, and are lonely because they talk a lot!

I find myself doing this. I often write quite a long letter to a friend who is not on line and won't use 'phone. If I don't keep a note of what to tell her in each letter or a copy of the last letter on my lap top, I end up telling her all about the incident with the dog on the beach, or the local current affair etc. I put it down to age and a quiet life.

I find I do this a lot but I think it is down to me not seeing anyone for weeks on end. When I finally do see someone I forget what I have told them a few weeks ago. Perhaps if I saw people more often then I would know for sure if I had told them something.

But what a treat to receive a letter Tuaim.. I treasure some of the letters my parents sent me before they died.. such lovely handwriting..

I repeat myself as does my DH, when we do it and are reminded of this - am sure some just bear it and bite their lip - we just laugh and call it a senior moment. Have a couple of friends who do it too.
What I do want to rant about though is people who start a sentence with ‘don’t take this the wrong way but…..’ because that inevitably means there is no other way to take it.

Sympathy coming your way fancythat.
I too have a friend with many anecdotes prefaced by “I’m sure I’ve told you this before…’

I try really hard not to groan, just grit my teeth and slap on a smile, as I’m sure I have said before!

Tuaim, lots of people like getting a real letter through the post, a treat no matter if it has some reinforcement of previously shared news. I was horrified to be told that one elderly, and very scholarly, relative has kept my trivia-filled letters.

pascal30

But what a treat to receive a letter Tuaim.. I treasure some of the letters my parents sent me before they died.. such lovely handwriting..

Thank you for your kind words. Yes, it is lovely to read letters from times past.

I just politely re-listen each time. Occasionally if I know it’s a long story I interject after a couple of minutes “oh yes, I remember you told me about that!”.

If I have some interesting/ important / funny news and I happen to talk to a few people, I can easily forget which person I have told. My daughter stops me if I have already told her something.

Arent we re all a bit guilty of this I m sure I tell people a story and are not sure if I’ve told them before I do always say stop me if I ve told you this before but surely it’s about a bit of compassion the lady you refer to could be in first stages of Alzheimer’s

She has no other signs of Alzheimer's.

She is lonely though.
So I just listen.
I think 15 mins of largely repeats is my limit.

It has got to the point that, as she lives on a road with traffic, I am considering dropping her off around the back of her house. That way I am not in danger of traffic hitting me, as she talks.

My friends and I sometimes tell each other the same things for a second (or more…) time. We find, though, that that is all right as while we forget what stories we have told each other, we also forget which ones we have heard. No problem there then!

Guilty as charged!

I have an acquaintance (can't call her a friend) who starts to tell me something, then realises I don't know the person she is talking about so breaks off to explain who they are, then returns to the story, only to break off again to explain the connection between her and the person she is talking about. A 5 minute story can take almost an hour!!!

It is annoying but I find it even more grating that the conversation (monologue) is all about them. I was reading a post on Mumsnet recently where a youngish woman (maybe 40's) and her similarly aged colleagues were bombarded for nearly an hour every single day by a colleague who is 60. She tells them bell book and candle each graphic detail of her elderly mum's ailments, right down to her bowel movements. The woman concerned is married and has 2 siblings who help with her mum's care, so she isn't isolated or lonely. Typically she never once has asked how her colleagues are. I don't understand how anyone can lack such self awareness. People who aren't particularly close to you (and even some who are) really don't want a daily running commentary.

I know I am "Guilty as charged" in respect of telling the same news over and over. Now that I actually have an official diagnosis of "Mild Cognitive Impairment" family and friends are much kinder in their responses to my serial reporting and updates, though less kind when I fail to tell them something because I think I have already told them

Slightly off topic are those people who mouth the words you are saying during a conversation.
Drives me mad !

fancythat

I dont mean those who are ill in any way.

I am just having a light hearted moan.
I know a lady who can literally repeat many things she has said before, for 20 minutes.
I give her a lift, so cant do much about it, other than stop doing so. Which I wont.
But, grrr.
She wont remember next week what she has told people this week.

It isnt only her.
I can see another couple of people in my life starting the same trait.

I dont even like some music as the lyrics are on repeat.
I feel like saying "I understood the first time around".

Rant over!

Feel free to add your own rants about anything, if you want to.
I just needed to get this out of my system!

My husband says I repeat myself - of course I do, he doesn't listen, nor can he remember the utterly important things I say.

I used to work with a man who repeated the last few words you said then giggled, before replying. At the time I thought it was a belittling tactic.

Years later found out about a condition known as echolalia but I still think he probably used it to belittle as I don't remember him doing it with the other men.

flappergirl

It is annoying but I find it even more grating that the conversation (monologue) is all about them. I was reading a post on Mumsnet recently where a youngish woman (maybe 40's) and her similarly aged colleagues were bombarded for nearly an hour every single day by a colleague who is 60. She tells them bell book and candle each graphic detail of her elderly mum's ailments, right down to her bowel movements. The woman concerned is married and has 2 siblings who help with her mum's care, so she isn't isolated or lonely. Typically she never once has asked how her colleagues are. I don't understand how anyone can lack such self awareness. People who aren't particularly close to you (and even some who are) really don't want a daily running commentary.

I used to work with a woman who’d ask me about my weekend , kids , holiday etc . I’d start to tell her and then she’d interrupt and tell me about her weekend, kids, holiday etc!!! . It used to drive me mad plus it was so rude .

I used to work with someone who would come in my office and tell me all about the previous night’s Coronation Street. I have never watched it, wasn’t interested and told her so every d****d time!

I have heard some tales a few times but just listen as I know how much the person is enjoying telling me.
I know I am guilty of repeating a story but friends just tell me that I've already told them that tale.

Sometimes if you've made no comment when you've been told something, people can presume you're not listening. They'll be aware they told you, but you didn't hear them, so they'll often tell the story again, possibly in the hope you will say.. that you remember them telling you..

Older people are so often ignored, that's a reason they can tell stories to you more than once.. if they fell you've not been listening the first time.