Mood Swings and Pouting
by Rebecca
(Florida USA)
It is hard to get up and spend time with my Father. He came to live with us in January of this year.
My Husband is GREAT!!!! at helping out.
Dad is not completely unable to take care of himself. When he came to us he couldn't get out of bed much less do the things he can now. So he is improving. He can't drive and they took his D.L. he is widowed from my Step Mother and his x wife the one who caused a lot of his financial woes is still calling daily putting ideas in his head.
Long story.. I get aggravated at my Father who lives in this small house with us and I and my Husband do everything we can to make his life more enjoyable which a lot of the time Dad appreciates. But when he gets in these mood swings and gets his feelings hurt because one of us will tell him like it is. (Dad has a very smart snappy attitude) a lot of the time. We think his medications mess with his head, a lot to. He is a lot and has to remember to take them 3x a day which I give to him.
He has lived in OHIO his entire life and never liked going anywhere other than work when he was young. So having to come to live with Me in Florida was not easy for him or I. I never got to spend a lot of time with him when I was young. He and my Mom divorced when I was 7 however we did stay in touch.
The siblings do not want anything at all to do with him. Other than a few phone calls now and then and they refuse to help him get his life back like help him run errands and such so he could be a bit more independent.
I think Dad resents that fact, and feels he has to stay here. I have told him he can go home any time he wishes. As long as he has a caregiver living with him.
But the mood swings he has now.. are driving me nuts. I don't know what mood he is going to be in each time he comes out of his room. The comments he makes sometimes are completely off the wall. He has trouble some days knowing what day it is, and I wonder if it is the beginning of dementia or if its his pills.
I have spoken to his doctor but at this point Dad seems fine when ever he goes in to see the doc. You see he can turn on when ever he likes it seems. When he wants to do it he can. Another source of aggravation to me.
He plays like he can't move when he wants you to wait on him. It's hard to tell when he is having a bad physical day cause of these things.
It has started to wear on my nerves. I try to avoid having to be around him during the day unless he needs something. I try to sit with him and chat and some days it goes well others i can tell OH NO I need to back off he 's in one of his moods again. Again another story.
It is getting more and more difficult to deal with. He wishes to run off like a child and starts making phone calls to siblings and his so called (friends) he thinks he has(Another story) yapping
about he wants to come home. Let me say this he is paying for a home in OHIO and allowing strangers to live in it for FREE. He is not a wealthy man.. I tried to persuade him otherwise but siblings again no help here. Let him do what ever he wishes.. and I try to allow him to have full reign of how he spends his money and try to guide him but do not have the power to force him otherwise.
I feel helpless, and find myself depressed a lot. Confused on how to deal with him.
It's complaints about me, my attitude... LOL omg I try so hard to be pleasant but the snide remarks he makes some days I just have to walk away.
Complains about food, yet he refuses a lot of the time to make himself anything to eat if I don't go get it and make it for him. It is usually petty things cause I ask him what he wants and how he wants it and if it is not just right I hear ITS DRY ITS THIS OR ITS THAT. I WANT TO SCREAM but I don't... I hold it in and whine to my husband whom is a saint and I am sure tired of all the complaints as well.
What do you do to handle these things? Dad can't go home no one there to care for him, He cant drive he can't afford help, He has to have someone pay his bills and do his shopping. He lives in the country in OHIO far from town. It's just what it is now. He has to stay here or go home and be alone if he can move them out of his house that is. ANOTHER STORY may not be so easy.
Lord oh mighty I ask myself sometime what did I get myself into. BTW I am 50 yrs old Dad is 75 and my husband works full time.
This house is small only 2 bedrooms. It's hard to be alone and when we go somewhere it ends up being a hashing and talking about the stuff going on here. Not relaxing at all.
Any suggestions?
Another thing I think My Dad is jealous of my Mom who is remarried and cared for us all her life has been remarried for 35 yrs. Dad is the one who screwed up and I think he resents it. .. every time he see's her and my step dad together.
Mom and Step Dad live in their own home and have a Ministry on the radio and prison as well. I think he resents that.. and is jealous to no end.
Mom lives here in town and visits me and Dad along with my Step dad. Dad seems okay at the time but then after wards most of the time he gets into his moods.
I can see now I am going to have to put a stop to these visitations as i don't think they help him at all.
In fact Dad takes his days where he changes his whole countenance and talks bad about my MOM and my GRANDPARENTS who took care of me and my brother all our lives. I think he realizes he screwed up. Resents that to.
Please don't tell me to talk to him about it. It's hard to do that.. seems to make him worse.
I know one thing I need a vacation. Can't afford one but sure do need one.
Thanks for letting me vent.
Rebecca