I have a sister who sticks her nose in everyone's business. She and I had an argument and she stated that she would just call before she came.
I didn't ask at that point and the argument wasn't anything about that. So now I want her to call before she comes. It gives us peace of mind and I think I deserve the right to that in my own home. She doesn't like it anymore and is telling the rest of the family that I'm trying to stop her from visiting mom. Which is a lie.
No one believed her, but am I being too demanding?
Yes. We [a few family members ] do suspect that.
Because of her past of taking money out of mom's wallet for years.
Now all her finances are set under lock and key.
Now it is time for your true friends, family and church friends to show their support. This means they ask what is best & easiest for you and the person you are caring for and put themselves last not even 2nd!
Toughen up, say what you feel/know is right and IF these people are truly good people they will understand! With Gods Love and my prayers I send you hope and strength during this painful time in your life! Dr Jack Grenan
Mom acted like I lived with her. It was absurd. We paid for OUR home! My mom never gave us a penny to buy our home. It has long been paid for.
Oh, when did they visit? Once in a blue moon for a few minutes on the way to somewhere else or a few minutes on the way back from somewhere. It was never an intentional visit to see her. Oh, but they were her precious sons that she was thrilled to see.
For decades I always invited them for holiday dinners, BBQ’s, Sunday dinners, birthday celebrations, etc. They sat down at my table and spoke about how wonderful of a cook my mom was growing up!
Mom was a great cook but it was rude of them to ignore my efforts to make delicious meals. Never recognized my hard work cooking all of mom’s recipes and my own delicious recipes. Not to brag, but I can cook!
So, I fixed that! I was not going to deal with it anymore and stopped inviting them to holiday dinners. Mom tried to make me feel guilty about it. I told her that I felt great about it! I told her they could visit her without me cooking for them and treating them like kings.
What did younger brother do? Stop by at lunch time when he was broke to eat lunch with us. So ridiculous! I would feel sorry for him at times and give him food to go for his dinner and lunch for the next day at work.
He would come by again and said that the people at work would comment on how delicious his lunch looked and when they asked if HE cooked it he would tell them YES, HE COOKED IT and laughed about it. It would never occur to him to give credit to me, his sister. He thought that was cute. I ignored it and was always used to being the invisible one.
When did they ever invite us to their homes for dinner? Ah, let’s see. I can count on one hand how many. It never occurred to them that I could have used a break from cooking.
I could go on and on. Most of you know that I have crappy brothers! Just wanted to let the OP know that those of us with siblings certainly understand there are annoying occurrences that happen in our lives.
Joke is on my brother now, because he has mom after I said ENOUGH! They pushed me too far with their obnoxious behavior and criticism. Have I been invited to any dinners? Hell no! Because my brothers numbers are blocked on my phone. I know that I am not invited to anything with them and I am not interested in anything they have to say anymore.
Do I miss my family? Of course I do. But I don’t miss the aggravation! I wish with all my heart we had not had a dysfunctional relationship. I have no power to change their behavior.
God knows that I truly tried to be the voice of reason. Unfortunately, it fell on deaf ears.
Thanks to this wonderful forum, I received comfort and advice. I will be grateful forever. With all of you and a great therapist I have learned acceptance that some families won’t have healing. Sometimes the kindest thing we can do is to leave others alone to live in peace.
If a person has a normal relationship with their siblings they should be welcome to see their mom at any time. It is polite for them to call ahead though.
I never prevented them from seeing mom even though they were jacka**es with me. Did mom care that they mistreated me? Oh gosh, that woman’s story would change depending on who she spoke with. She wasn’t loyal to me who took care of her. She flip flopped all over the place.
Sorry for the long rant.
We are tender when it comes to family. But we should really be tough. Because family thinks they have the right to walk all over family and forgive and forget.
BUT we should treasure our family.
Thats the way it should be but some are in for themselves and could care less of our feelings.
Ive always had a tender heart but thank the Lord he is toughen me up.
I do forgive but I do not have to keep on taking abuse from the rude ones. I do not have to fellowship with them.
When mom hard her home everyone went to her house for holidays.
My home. I set down the rule. No holiday at my home.
If mom want to go over at your house the holiday. You can come get her.
So no one came to get her for 3 years and mom don't like leaving home. She told my sister she was happy here.
Bit mom does flip flop also in so many things. I can go on and on to.
I have holidays with mom and my two daughters. It's nice and peaceful.
It feels good to know I'm not alone.
I have trouble with her even going to the Dr.
They have come and asked and asked mom to go places with them. She has refused.
Im not saying my sister can't come.
Ive never denied her access to mom. I just want it scheduled.
LIke at 10 pm and midnight is unacceptable. That's her norm.
Ive had an open door policy for 3 years.
Most of the time she came was to stick her nose in my business and tell me what to do to the point of demanding. Those days are over. I've had enough.
Ive walked on egg shells because of her. No more.
I have 3 sisters and 4 brothers.
None act like her.
Im done being tender to her .
Whow told others that she hated me. And that's the way she treated me. With hate.
Imy sorry. My mom can live without the drama.
Mom knows how she is.
Moms needs come first and for three years I did put up with it.
But I have to keep my sanity .
I have to keep my health.
Or I'm no good to mom.
Thanks for the advice.
It was awkward at first (without the schedule) bcuz my brother would attempt to do the last minute deal. I could not always allow them to come as a result of it being last minute, and Mom may not have even been ready by the time they would get there, etc. etc.. I am self-employed and work mostly out of the home. If you can imagine juggling that? No time to play the guilt trips and all of that, while trying to effectively balance everything........ensure that Mom has what she needs, without killing myself in the process.
I considered it inappropriate to attempt to stretch to meet other people's expectations, especially when I am the only sibling (of three) that took on the responsibility of caring for our Mom. During a time like this, in order to remain emotionally healthy in the challenge, I have to set rules that work for all involved.......without leaving myself out to dry.
Now we have a set time every week, and I only get a text or phone call if they are NOT coming. This allows myself and whoever I have helping that day to maintain a schedule that is not negatively impacted by them showing up or not ( yes, these dudes were unpredictable, sometimes not showing up when they said they were coming, etc.). Nope! NOT HAVING IT. And don't feel one bit guilty!!!
Truth be told, Mom lives with me and my husband, our home. The mortgage is in our names........not my Mom's. So I take the right to say who will come by and when they will do it. I welcome everyone, however, our home is our little kingdom, and I am the Queen in it. Relative or no, any flack about how we interface in the home.......politely invited to not come.
With the agreed upon schedule, we have worked out a plan that is win-win. It is not healthy to allow anyone to impose on your space like that. It is already a tough thing to have to balance the care of your loved one along with the rest of your life. You will have to understand what you need to do the best that you can, and set the rules based on that. My other siblings did not take on the task that I have taken on in the care of our Mom. I pay for outside help. Since I am doing the work........I set the rules...........
Signed "Don't come if you don't like it" (Smile)
So absolutely, they need not just call but also make sure it’s a good time for you AND mom. That’s just basic manners. The only time I’ve gone to anyone’s house without calling first is either for a surprise party or if I am just going to drop something off at the front door and let them know on my way home.
The call ahead is for me.
I want peace and comfort.
My sister does not care it's my home.
She says where mom is , is free access. She can come when she wants. I said let's see how that works for you?
You can't make rules for my home.
I don't know what is wrong with her brain. No one else thinks it's OK to drop in at the drop of a hat.
It would be different if she came and did something to help make our life easier. But everything she does is for her. Thanks for the imput Nuttybuddy.
My sister is not trust worthy.
She does bring food sometime for mom but mom won't eat it.
Mom says don't tell her. I don't want to hurt her feelings.
I don't say anything to anyone cause most will talk about it and pass it on to her.
I don't want to hurt her either. She's my sister. I love her.
But I dislike her ways very much because she has no love or compassion for anyone but herself.
Thanks for the advice. Very helpful.
I do have a sister come in and bath her. She's great.
then go out to movie &/or lunch! Don’t entertain anyone who comes into the house! No matter who it is...just leave! On the other hand, if you cannot trust her or think she’s up to no good, stick around... but no entertaining! Sis is the one who should bring food! Hugs 🤗
No No and NO, you are not being too demanding.
I to take care of my mother in my home and I'm having a issue with a family member that wants to come and visit. My mother has been with me for over a year. Not one time over the course of the year did she ever mention that she and her son wanted to visit. She "told" me they were planning on coming to see my mom. I told her it wasn't a good time because the weekend she was coming, we were moving! She didn't offer for her and her son to help us. What she did do was tell other family that "she doesn't know when they will be able to come and see her aunt"! I told her once we got settled in I would tell her and we could make plans for them to come. She lives 4 hours away.
She contracted me again about a month later about coming. Saying that her son really wants to see my mom. Now, if it's so important to him why doesn't he call her? And why hasn't tried to contact her AT ALL over the past year!? I once again had to tell her we weren't ready for company yet. She then told me, "your house doesn't have to be perfect. We don't care about that and we don't need a place to stay."
Iinstead of just accepting what I said she went and told a couple close family members that she thinks I just don't want them to come.
She is wrong for telling someone that and even more wrong about what she thinks. I don't get a whole lot of company and I would love for them to come. However, there is a much deeper reason why it's not a good time. We are trying to understand, accept and learn how to deal with our adult child that has moved back with us because he has been diagnosed with Schizophrenia. I'm not ready to share that with anyone right now. Until his more stable and his medication is working, it's honestly not a good time "for us" to have company. She didn't stop and think maybe there's a good reason why and accept what I said and wait for me to make the invite! Instead she's made a very unfair assumption and talked unkindly about me. Just because I'm caring for my mother in "my home" doesn't mean that you can just come anytime you want because she's your aunt!
I totally get wanting to visit your loved one and I would never prevent anyone from seeing her if it weren't for the seriousness of our situation.
I think people feel like because they are family and their loved one is elderly, they should automatically get a free pass. No one considers that you do have a life outside of being a caregiver and respect your right to privacy and common courtesy in "your home"! My mother is not ill and in her final days. If it's that important and urgent pick up the phone and call her! And, for what it's worth, my mom doesn't want company right now either! Schizophrenia is a very serious mental illness and even more hard to accept and deal with. The person is very unpredictable and can have moments of bizarre behavior. Because of what's happening to them, it's very real to them.
The bottom line is "your house, your rules"! I don't have to worry about people just dropping by because we don't have any relatives close to us. Thankfully! If I were in your situation, I would kindly explain that you would like things to go back to how they were because you appreciated her calling before coming. I don't think in your situation you have to justify why you want to know ahead of time either. It's just common courtesy. Being a caregiver is stressful. Until someone does what we do, they will never understand it.
I hope your sister will think about it and give you the respect your asking for.
Best wishes!
Since sister is into looking for more handouts, any assets mom has should be set up in a trust for her with you (and other trusted siblings if possible) as trustee. You could also consider signing up as rep payee for SS (again, this is to protect mom's income.) If so, call the local office, not the main SS number. They will set up an appointment, ask a lot of questions and submit your request. I was able to do this, without mom in tow and despite bringing documentation that I was managing her finances, etc, they didn't look at one piece of paper! If approved, her payments go to you as rep payee and you use a special account that only you can access, not mom or anyone else. It does require keeping track of how her SS income is spent and reporting it yearly, but can be done online.
These actions would prevent sister from getting any money from mom. This protects her income and assets from any financial abuse, both family and outsiders. A good EC atty can set these all up and guide you. If this is all done, you have NO obligation to share info with anyone, esp that sister. Generally most will give you a first initial consult for free. Write up all your questions and concerns before the consult and take notes. It might be best to attend this without mom, and during the follow up, s/he would question mom to determine if she can still sign/make some decisions about how to proceed. You might consult with the reasonable siblings to see what they think and ask if they would like to be involved. Their input could be helpful.
As for sister calling before a visit, no, that isn't too much to ask. Even when not caregiving, random drive by drop ins are not always welcome! Sometimes we all have a bad day/part of day/busy day and are not "up" to visitors. Requiring you to leave the room while she visits is a clear indication she is likely up to no good. If you can protect her assets, sister might give up visiting at all!
Mom had been vulnerable and needing company these past years. Of those that visited, some had good intentions while still self serving. Several treated her home as a hotel or storage. One adult relative came over and brought her laundry to do each time, another came over and seemed to only eat and nap afterwards, another came late in the evenings which contributed to mom's cognitive decline, another relative wanted to continue the family parties when it was clear that it overwhelmed mom. It seemed like whenever I filled my car with stuff to be donated, a neighbor would surveil the stash.
oh and count on her being a slow learner, stick to the rules. Everyone else will be relieved for you and mom and will happily comply. Then rest easy.
You and your sister might try to find a better way to move forward, since you both have a vested interest in caring for your mother.
Who knows what maybe going on.Your mom is sick your sick.
You have plans or you just don't feel like being bothered.I had the same dilemma when I took care of my mom and now my dad Thankfully,The only person who visits my dad is my aunt,and she lets me know when she's welcoming for a visit.
I never just show up at anybody's house.I always call first so I expect others to do the same.
You can say,Thank you so much for visiting my mom today but would you mind calling ahead of time before your next visit.Just so she's prepared to receive company.