Older folks and TMI

[LadyBarbossa]

Can someone explain this phenomenon to me? It's like after some people (I'm certainly not painting ALL senior citizens with this brush) reach a certain age, they have absolutely no tact anymore. My Mom is a huge offender. Even years after a fact, she can hijack almost any health related conversation to talk all about her gallbladder removal. In 2001.

Then today she approached a male friend of mine at work, said hi, and when he asked how we were, she launched into a detailed description telling him all about her ingrown toenail and having it removed last month. I'm very interested in this guy and she's aware of this, bur regardless I'm not sure why she felt this was the best thing to tell him. He didn't seem too fussed about it but I was mortified. Once we finally got her off the subject, she started walking away and he did say he'd call me about getting together this weekend. But still . . . oh. my. god.

I notice this in the pharmacy a lot, and we've kind of come to expect it, but it still amazes me with the ease and volume at which some people choose to tell me and/or the pharmacists about their dry bowel movements, frequency of diarrhea, etc. Last month an older gentleman was picking up his wife's prescription and wasted no time telling me she had really bad body lice. And in one case last week, the FLOOR associate was treated to an older woman lifting her shirt up to show her the oozing rash under her boobs. Poor woman was just trying to stock shelves, she didn't sign up for this.

WHY?!

[HYHYBT]

I'd guess it's a combination of some people just naturally having a tendency to overshare anyway with older people being both more likely to have health issues and more likely to be used to having them and so having gotten over whatever embarrassment they did have by having to explain so many things to so many people (even just various doctors and such) that it's become normal for them.

[jackfaire]

Question is it just recently your mom has been like that?

My mom overshares and always has. When I was a teen 13 to 15, 15 to 20 was apparently my dad's turn on the couch, I was essentially her therapist. I would hear things about my parents relationship I had no business knowing. She tends to freak my friends out with how oblivious she is to how badly it freaks people out.

I think as she gets older people will chalk it up to her being older but I think it has cost her friends, family etc over the years. What's worse is when you try to confront her about it she will say something like, "Hey for years I couldn't speak my mind because of my parents and then your dad so now I am going to"

Since she has been speaking her mind as it were as far back as I can remember I am going to guess that she finally became aware of it and is convinced that it's a new development. I actually have to be careful because I picked it up from her and can end up discussing more serious topics before discussing movies and TV shows.

[LadyBarbossa]

Maybe she's always done it, but I've only noticed it in the last ten years since she had the gallbladder removal. It was like she was the first person who'd ever had the surgery and she has to tell everyone all about it. The next thing was how hard it was for her to get her driver's license renewed, and she can hijack almost any conversation about that. Lately it's the toenail she had to have removed. And I know she wasn't deliberately doing it to 'scare off' my guy friend; one of my besties from the pharmacy was treated to the same story but it didn't phase me because well . . . she works in a pharmacy and she's used to stuff like that. I was just hoping she'd have more tact than to 'treat' the guy I'm actively pursuing to that story. Good god.

[Gravekeeper]

Yeah, the older you get the more your personality gets set in stone and magnified me thinks. Hence you have older people who are absolutely miserable people at all times. While others might be the sweetest people you've ever met. So it might be that they've always been one for TMI.

[telecom_goddess]

OH god I hate it when people get like that.....and yeah old people are the biggest offenders. My mother was old when I was growing up and she did it all the damn time. She would literally talk about being in the hospital and how people would overflow bedpans and on and on...I would try to stop her cause she was literally nauseating me but she just kept on going.

Medical issues and disgusting things and bathroom habits and all that crap needs to be kept to yourself, they are not group activities!

[jackfaire]

I was in a restaurant and this guy loudly on his cell phone started talking about his brother's surgery in graphic detail.

What's really bad is he was working there.

[DrFaroohk]

This reminds me of a comedy sketch I just saw where a guy, in a crowded setting, is explaining to his daughter over the phone how to put in a tampon.

I know several old people who are way into TMI. There used to be an old lady come into the store I worked and tell me about her diarrhea. She used to have to change her panties 3 times a day!

There was another old lady at my store who developed a crush on me and used to tell me about her periods. I dunno why.

My dad and stepmom have always been really open about their sex life. that was kinda creepy. I guess there's really nothing WRONG with it, I mean, they're married, married people fuck. Sometimes anyway.

[gremcint]

I have a friend who'se mother in law began asking him about how he performs oral sex on her daughter and how she likes it.

in the middle of shoppers drug mart.

[jackfaire]

I have a friend who'se mother in law began asking him about how he performs oral sex on her daughter and how she likes it.

in the middle of shoppers drug mart.

Yeah that goes beyond even in public appropriate that is never appropriate. *shudders* It's bad enough if she asks your wife that but if she asks you eww

[telecom_goddess]

I have a friend who'se mother in law began asking him about how he performs oral sex on her daughter and how she likes it.

in the middle of shoppers drug mart.

oh hell no...

[jackfaire]

I have to admit though if my ex mother in law had asked me about that I would have asked her a similar question but mine would have been worse and more invasive.

[HYHYBT]

You can't *get* much worse and more invasive, and someone who doesn't realize the one is inappropriate probably wouldn't catch on to the other either.

[jackfaire]

You can't *get* much worse and more invasive, and someone who doesn't realize the one is inappropriate probably wouldn't catch on to the other either.

*wicked grin* You would be surprised. I could make what that woman asked seem like asking a five year old if they want ice cream.

That depends actually with my mom while she is crude, inappropriate etc when you turn the tables on her she gets squicked out about it.

For some people it's an "I am awesome you should all worship me complex" where the person may see themselves as some sort of matriarch of the family and of course that means you all have to bow down like she is a queen.

[gremcint]

First off I've met the woman twice, and I believe him because somehow the conversation steered towards her vaginal dryness.

Second she's a fucking lunatic. Just trust me.