You Don't Understand My Shoes

 Well, remember when I mentioned that things had settled down and there was a lack of constant worry?  Yeah, that lasted about ten minutes.

The absence from the bloggity is not because something terrible has happened but because my brain just needed a rest. 

Sigh.

When last we left the Raising Parents Saga, my father-in-law had requested help with his paperwork, appointments, etc.  I already monitor his med records and appointments but  I had emailed the doctors to change the contact names and numbers to me and notify them of the change he requested. He needs someone to attend with him because he'll come home and either say "Everything is fine" or "I have herpes and they're going to shave my head" when it's actually they're just adjusting his meds.

Summarized: he asked for help, we gave him help, he pouted and declared that it was too much help and "You took everything away".  Yeah, that gasp/sigh? We've been doing that for about two weeks.  We agreed, did the thing and then...

I had to contact the doctors again and explain "Even though we know he's NOT CAPABLE, we are doing as he asked.  Also: we need you to TELL US when we need to step in." They agreed but there's only so much they can do also.  

Anyway, then there was pouting.  I had told you about the being owly at the cardiologist and it only increased from there.  Until finally my brother-in-law who is not known for tact and is known for volume, had it out with him.  That is where it was determined that we were helping too much and he wanted his stuff back.  Sigh.

So, fine, whatever.  Let him do it, we'll wait for him to forget, mess it up, or something bad to happen then we'll do this all over again.  

For a minute, Kevin stayed out of it.  The f-i-l doesn't live with us so he didn't feel like it was his place/worth adding his two-cents worth.  But then the f-i-law was owly with Kevin and whew, that didn't end well.

The two things I will never forget is my f-i-l telling Kevin that "You don't understand my shoes", to which Kevin was completely befuddled.  Now, I speak fluent f-i-l so I got the mixed metaphor of "You haven't walked in my shoes" and "You don't understand"  I would have paid MONEY to see Kevin's face.

Secondly, while trying to prove his point that us pesky kids were doing too much and putting too much pressure on him to MAKE APPOINTMENTS AT A REASONABLE TIME and STOP GOING TO THE DOCTOR BECAUSE YOU'RE BORED & THE GIRLS ARE PRETTY, he was mad that we made him go get x-rays on his hand that was injured when he fell: 

"Now LOOK" he exclaims while waving his CASTED hand "This is what happens when you make me go the doctor."

I admit, I laughed.  Right out loud. Kevin told me this over the phone and all I could do is reply "You absolute heartless bastard, making him go get his BROKEN FINGER fixed"

The dust had barely settled from THAT when the "aunt" (my m-i-l's BFF - the one who kisses on the mouth)  she called last weekend when Kevin and I were at breakfast.  She invited herself to come visit the family because she misses us so much.  *insert eyeroll here* We were non-committal, at best.  

THEN, Then, and THEN, she tells me that my f-i-l told her that "the kids won't let me do anything or go anywhere."  WUT.  I mean WUT.

Ooof, Kevin was mad.  SO MAD.  He rarely gets mad. Annoyed, of course but not mad.  We debated and pondered.  Let it go? Confront him? Tell the siblings?  Kevin went with confronting him and he whole-heartedly denied it, which we know is a lie, But these parents man, they think they're clever.  This is why we call it "Raising Parents".  While we can't ground him, we can say that we're disappointed and frustrated and stop talking sh*t to people about your kids when all your kids are trying to do is keep you alive dogdammit.

But we don't understand his shoes.