Ever since I retired, we typically eat dinner around 4:00 pm. This gives us an opportunity to take a walk after dinner year round.
We also like that we can often get happy hour prices at restaurants and that the restaurants are less crowded.
Our daughter prefers eating at 8 pm and we try to comprise when we see her. I have to bite my tongue when the restaurant has run out of the dish I wanted to order.
I was on a tour in Portugal and the tour guide explained that Portuguese don’t normally tip, but that American tourists are expected to tip 10%.
I prefer to act like a local when I’m on vacation. I don’t want to be called an ugly American
Do they provide me with a checkbook so that I can use the line of credit for any need that comes up?
During my teenage years, I had constant conflicts with my mother, and the scars of those battles have lingered for many years.
I always knew my mother loved me and that she never acted out of selfish motives. However, I didn’t particularly enjoy being mothered.
As I matured, she became my biggest cheerleader. She was always eager to hear about my achievements and offered wise advice whenever I faced setbacks.
I was fortunate that my mother lived a long life and that I had the opportunity to express my love for her while she was still alive. I delivered the eulogy at her funeral and did my best to honor her memory. Having a sibling to assist with major edits was a great help.
Every day, I have warm memories of my mother, but on Mother’s Day I really miss her.
Mine is having the freedom to move without having to worry about a job. I I enjoyed living where I worked, but it was definitely not the place I wanted to live during retirement.
When my mother was around 85 I asked her if she wanted to move to a 55+ or independent living place. She said she wanted to live in her home as long as possible. I made her mark a few changes in the house and to wear a first alert 🚨 device. Three years later my sister insisted that we move her to an independent living place. When I said it wasn’t what she wanted, my sister said I wasn’t the one who had to be at her beckon call (which was true because I lived far away) and besides she was not socializing anymore. I give in.
My daughter’s MIL got diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and is miserable. They can’t operate on it until the tumor is reduced, so she needs to go through twice a week chemo. Her husband has colorectal cancer, but I think it was caught early enough and is being treated. My daughter called me last night and said her MIL is miserable and she is causing her FIL to be miserable too. Her husband and her feel that her MIL will cause her FIL’s life to be shorter and asks me why doesn’t she die with dignity. I explained to her that her MIL was extremely healthy a month ago and that she may be able to successfully fight it. Either way, I told her, it will be difficult and she needs to be as supportive as possible.
The mother of a good friend of mine died and she wanted to put her father in an independent living facility. Her sister, who lives across the street from him insisted that he stay in his house and get 24/7 care. Based on her parents’ trust, her sister won. My friend jokingly (I think) said there goes her inheritance.
It really made me think about me and my wife. We have scaled down and want to remain in our condo as long as possible. We live very close to the hospital and can afford to have either live-in or 24/7 care and would definitely prefer that.
Are any of you concerned about your future?
It happens with all of my kids, but my one daughter will get up from the table and say “you always…”. which can be followed by many different things.
My ex once said:
“You’re problem is that you want to be a friend with our children. Well one of us has to be the adult “
Her remark really struck me hard, because I did want to be a friend with my kids. I wanted them to be able to tell me anything.
When my daughter once said “dad, you’re more of a friend than a parent “, I was hurt and quickly changed the topic. Only years later did I realize she meant it as a compliment.
When I got remarried my wife had two kids, one that was about to get married and the other was 14. After a few months living with the 14 year old, my wife said it bothered her that I always joked with her daughter and said she believed her daughter needed a stoic father. She said how will her daughter ever be able to come to me when she has a problem, if she doesn’t think I take things seriously. I tried to become the father my wife wanted and our daughter reacted poorly to it. When we had a family discussion my wife explained her positioned. Our daughter remarked, “I want my father back”
Now all of our children are married and we have an excellent relationship with all of them. Maybe being a friend with your children isn’t the best form of parenting, but it worked for me.
I’m curious what others think.
I was divorced over 15 years ago. I was far from a perfect husband, but tried to be a perfect father (failed there too-lol)
I have gotten remarried and am very happy, but the scars run deep. My SIL asked if a day goes by where I don’t mention her name. Our daughter didn’t invite her to her wedding and my wife performed all the mother duties. My ex is completely cutoff from her parents and siblings. Her only contact is with our son, who called me late last night threatening to cut her off too.
Personally, I think it’s important for both of our children to have a relationship with both of us, though calls like last night really stress me out.
“Till death do us part” IMO was more of a warning than a vow.
I have a plan G HD plan and I moved to a different state. I was told I don’t need to change plans, but when I try to change my address, the plan says they only provide coverage in 3 states, not including the one I moved to.
The address can only be changed to one of those 3 states
I want a non stick frying pan for an induction cooking. I like the Viking Pureglide intrigues me, but it’s too expensive. This one sounds interesting.
I always put the maximum amount allowed into my 401K. Now I realize that I will be paying high taxes when I need to take RMDs. Now I realize how much lower my taxes would be if I only lived off of qualified dividends and capital gains. Of course I wanted to get the company match, but if I could do it over again I think I would have been better off only contributing enough to get the company match.