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Some people, my late mother included, are not happy unless they’re unhappy. My mother was negative, paranoid and a drama queen. She was a martyr who wanted everyone to admire her because she married my father and had me and lived her life with a man who only had a ninth grade education and would never make much money. When she was younger, she wanted to elope with an RAF pilot during World War Two. In her mind, she was a heroine for “settling” for my father.

I lived with her negativity all my life. It got worse when she had dementia. So what did I do? I became an outgoing and friendly person who always tries to find the positive in a situation. Sure, I have “down” days but they don’t define me. I never tried to change my mother. She enjoyed her misery. But as for myself, I am much happier looking at the good in a situation and in people.
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Is this normal for her?

Sometimes, it's only when you go back to living with your parent that you, now an adult, see her personality up close; and it can be... a bit wearying. That's something you have to devise your own strategies for so that it doesn't drag you into the black hole.

But sometimes, there can have been a marked change in the personality; and that is worth investigating.

I never feel that it's 100% reasonable to expect somebody who is coping with old age and its trials to be full of the oh-be-joyfuls all the time. But on the other hand, if therapy or activities or medications might help, then older people have as much right to them as anyone else - and why wouldn't you see what can be done?
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I come from a family of negative whiners , drives me cra, cra. No matter what they, find the black cloud in the sky.

Me, I have programmed myself to be optimistic, and they do not like that! Oh well, not my problem.

Your mother may need therapy, if she has dementia, this trait most likely intensify.

I suggest that you do not engage her in any topics that you know will trigger her. Keep all conversations on the surface level, nothing deep or thought provoking.
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Upstream Sep 2019
Agree about conversations, I only make small talk with my mom anymore, any other conversation turns awful. There have been so many times I thought to myself, "why did I even mention that!"
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I just sort of nod and say "uh huh" to my mom anymore. She has waited for so many years for happiness to come from outside of herself, to hit her like a lightning bolt. She is extremely negative, wallows in self pity, wants to drag others down. She hates laughter, smiles, music, happiness. Nothing is ever her fault, everything just keeps "happening" to her and she's an innocent victim.

I put up a "wall" in a sense, of self-protection, and let her negativity just hit that wall and bounce off. I no longer try to cheer her up, point out the goodness in the world, or really even share what is going on in my life. There is no point, she is snarky and negative. She hates my friends and seems not to want me to do anything enjoyable. She doesn't like my husband's family (after 30 years she's made no effort to get to know them) so I'm not really supposed to spend time with them either. It's OK with her if I work six days a week and spend the seventh on household chores or doing things for her or my dad. So, I lie a lot and generally avoid letting her into my life.
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I'm the only child of a single mother and Little Miss Gray Cloud as I have taken to calling her to her face. My mother is 90 but operating at 95% capacity. Sadly, she has always been a "glass less than half empty" person. If it's a sunny day she will crank about how it's going to storm (1% chance of rain) then being disappointed when it doesn't rain, cursing the "stupid" weather people; recounts the most horrific news stories at the dinner table; is suspicious/skeptical of the most benign actions of people; thinks optimists are "naive" or bumpkins because they DIDN'T grow up in NYC, etc. So tiring. When she'd come thru my door in the morning she literally wouldn't even say "hello", just launch into a rant about how the neighbors dog committed some heinous potty transgression. I've taken to staring at her for a moment to get her attention, then with a huge smile and exaggerated cheer say, "Well helloo to you too!! Why, I'm *fine*, thank you!" etc. At first she'd grumble at it but now, because she hates when I do that, she dispenses with pleasantries first and then proceeds as Gray Cloud for the day. If nothing else it gives me great satisfaction :-)
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I can relate. Very difficult.
1 Acknowledge how they feel.
2 Reassure them, once, dont argue with them.
3 Redirect their mind to something else ,
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