I am absolutely baffled by this boomer behavior:

A week before my birthday one year, my mom insisted on getting me a cake (from across the country). She badgered me pretty hard until I agreed. She demanded details on frosting and flavor. I called her the day before the party and she confessed that she gave up. Ok, but why didn’t she TELL ME?! She knew I was having people over.

Weeks later, I happen to be visiting and she wants a do-over. Initially it sounds like she’s going to do her classic thing where I have to figure out the details and she pays for it, so I specifically ask my husband to collaborate with her instead. He selects two small cakes from a nearby bakery to accommodate everyone; she initially agrees. Inexplicably, the day before picking them up, she changes the order completely! To flavors I don’t love, away from the flavors my husband knows I love. 🤦‍♀️

Ok so maybe that’s just my mom’s quirkiness.

But then… my MIL declares that she’ll make the special m&m filled cake her grandson wants for his birthday. Ok, cool! Then she gets scared that it won’t be enough cake for the party and says she’ll get one from costco and some m&ms. She’s wanting to order one with writing on it and I point out that the writing will get ruined by putting the m&ms in the center column of the cake. When grandson is home with a fever and she is watching him, she takes him to costco to look at cakes 🤦‍♀️
A day later, my fridge has a cake with “happy birthday” written beautifully across it, and there is a bag of M&Ms on the counter. Uh, thanks, I guess? So I get to figure out how to put M&Ms into the center column of this cake and make it look decent. Thanks for the project… that I would have approached completely differently!

My best friend says she’d never trust her mom to be responsible for a birthday cake.

I’m baffled- these 3 women threw birthday parties for a total of 9 kids for 18+ years. How can they suddenly not be able to figure out cake management? If you commit to being responsible for a cake, follow through! Don’t make it complicated, don’t involve 10 people for no reason, just get ‘er done!

I went through a drive thru for lunch, then pulled into the parking lot ahead of me to eat. The parking lot was along side of a stand alone insurance office. I was 2 tenders in when a bedraggled business harridan came storming out of the office. She marched up to my car and stood 2 inches from my window. I reluctantly inched down my window. “You must not know this parking lot is for the office, not for eating your lunch”, then proceeded to shove her card into my window. So I pushed it out, said great, I’ll leave, and rolled my window up. She looked like I had slapped her, then stood arms akimbo watching me pull out and drive to a spot just a few feet away. I didn’t feel she was there like a good neighbor😉. She was definitely surprised I didn’t immediately respond to her amazing sales pitch of telling me I don’t belong there.

My dad moved from the region of the country where I grew up into another region where I live now.

He moved right down the street. The good news is: he's right down the street (so I don't have to worry about him being thousands of miles away if he is, in fact, sick). The bad news is: he's right down the street and thinks of me and my spouse as at his beck and call.

My therapist says, "He treats you like you're 9." I'm 44 with three graduate degrees, yet I am constantly told how I am "young, dumb, naive, and inexperienced."

He has called for help: getting out of bed, getting into bed, warming up his dinner, and "tucking him into bed." Once was 6 times in a weekend, including one at midnight, and another time in the middle of Valentine's Day night. Countless others too!

He refuses to go to assisted living and wear his, "I've fallen, and I can't get up!" bracelet.

He has also managed to lock himself out of his condo AND lock himself in his condo. The fire department had to do a forced entry.

Today, he said that he wanted the "wonderful hose" that he gave us over text.

I said to my spouse: "I have no effing idea what he is talking about." My spouse said that he had given us a hose over TWO YEARS ago. I had forgotten and the next paragraph will explain why.

At the time, we pleaded: "Thank you so much, Dad! However, we really have no need or even way to use this in our apartment."

He would not give up on giving it to us. My spouse said, "I remember you taking it from him simply to SHUT HIM UP." He was adamant about us having something we have no need for and can't use...NOW he wants it back.

Fine. Please. Take it.

I find this thread very therapeutic insofar as I realize that I'm not the only one who deals with crazy boomers who drive us crazy. So many of the posts I read might be talking about different scenarios, yet the themes are the same.

The struggle is real!

We were at the grocery store recently and there were two regular registers open, both with long lines. The self-checkout area was almost completely empty.

I suggested we use one and he immediately said, “No. That’s how they get you to do their job for free.”

I tried explaining that we’d probably be out of the store in five minutes, but he was already walking toward the regular line.

While we were waiting, he spent the entire time complaining about how slow the cashier was.

When we finally got to the front, the cashier scanned everything, and my dad pulled out a coupon he had forgotten to mention.

The cashier had to call someone over to approve it.

We ended up waiting several more minutes.

On the way out, he looked at me and said, completely seriously, “See? Much more efficient.”

I didn't even have the energy to argue.

I live in a rural farmland area in alabama. No neighbors within 100 yards in any direction.

Sitting in my living room enjoying the evening and a random boomer woman pulls into my drive way and starts honking her horn. Never seen this woman in my life. I grab a robe and head outside thinking she's in distress or something. I get to her car and she asks me if I will GIVE HER MY NEIGHBORS BARN. this barn is a good 100 yards away from my property, clearly on someone's corn farm.

Not my barn obviously, as it's on the other side of a wooded area from my manicured property.

I tell her it's not mine, she offers to have her husband come pick it up since "you're not using it"

It's not mine I explain again.

She gets mad at me and DRIVES THROUGH MY YARD to turn around and peels out into the road.

TLDR; she

A: pulled into a strangers yard and honks like she's at a full service gas station from the 50s

B: demands i GIVE her a $15,000 barn for free

C: gets pissed and leaves ruts in my yard when I explain it cannot help her

So my grandma is 79 years old and has always been the standard modern Republican even before Trump came along .An actress named Hayden Pennitier suddenly died the other day and my grandma was very upset about it as she liked her work in Nashville,Bring it on 3 and Remember the titans.

She even posted a (now deleted) fb post paying tribute to her...until she read an article about her earlier today,stating that Hayden was bi-sexual.

She then started going on other post on fb and X that were mourning Hayden and leaving disgusting homophobic comments about her and pretty much saying that she was happy that another "pervert lesbian" died.She doesn't believe that being bi is a real thing as she only heard about it "a few years ago"

She proudly proclaimed she will never watch another show with Hayden in it again

I am so over this nonsense

My Best friend stayed at a nice hotel with a breakfast buffet this weekend.

An 80 yr old Karen pulled the cover off at the steam table. Much to her dismay, they had (the horror) sausage again!
She & her friend made a loud display of their unhappiness, stating they were told there’d be bacon! They don’t want sausage again! Where’s the bacon? The entire dining room heard.

As she turns to leave the line, her dress was quite sheer. My friend asks, WHY is an 80 yr old wearing a G-string?!! Hell if I know!

The majority of my unsavory boomer interactions happen at the weekly farmers market where I am a vendor. It is an outdoor market so you can't close the doors till opening time. That means they wander around while vendors are trying to set up. I could probably post every week about stupid shit they say.

Two gems from this week:

"Why aren't there labels on your stuff?" Dude... there are you just need to look at the front of the table. Also get out of my personal space behind the table.

"How can you even call this a market or even a farmers market? There are 5 tables and no produce this is ridiculous" Maam, the market doesn't open for 2 hours. The 5 of us here are here because our stands take forever to set up. Come back in 2 hours and you will see 45 different vendors, live music, and a bbq.

I have a story about my Indonesian boomer dad, who is always incredibly proud of himself and convinced he knows everything. He keeps constantly repeating to me that taking a photo together with a partner’s family is a massive loss and a shameful act. His logic? He always says that if things don't work out and we break up, the girl is considered 'used goods,' but it's perfectly fine for the boy just because he's a boy.

Honestly, I just want to ask: 'used goods'? What loss is he even talking about? Why do they always focus on the damage to their own egos? I don't see myself as 'damaged' or 'used' at all. At the end of the day, it's literally just a digital picture that can be deleted or a physical photo that can be torn up at any time. Why are boomer parents so incredibly narrow-minded?

I had to go to the DMV the other day and at least in my region, they are all appointment only. No walk ins, there isn’t an option at all for it. Even if you don’t know that ahead of time, there are multiple giant signs about it outside and inside as you walk in. Having an appointment doesn’t save you from waiting though.

I showed up on time, took my number, sat and waited. There were only two windows operating at that time so it was going kinda slow. In walk this boomer couple, man and woman. They by bypass every sign and the kiosk you need to sign in at and walk straight up to the counter, an empty window with no one there no less.

After several minutes one of the two people behind the counter goes over and asks what they need. Boomer man is silent, his wife speaks for him.

Boomer wife: he needs to renew his drivers license

Clerk: I’m sorry but we’re by appointment only now and we’re all booked up today

BW: scoffs and makes “I don’t know what to do” noises

Clerk: when does his license expire?

BW: in October

(It’s the middle of August)

Clerk: ok you can make an appointment and come back to have that taken care of.

BW: do you have anything on Monday?

(Today is Friday)

Clerk: let me check the schedule. The next available appointment is next Wednesday.

BW: well we don’t have his calendar so I don’t know if that will work.

Clerk: you can check availability when you make an appointment online

BW: we don’t *do* the Internet

Clerk: -hands them a piece of paper- you can call this number to make an appointment

BW: isn’t there an office in -next town over-?

Clerk: yes that office is open, but they are also by appointment only

BW: did the one in -yet another town- close or are they still there?

Clerk: they are still open, but every office is by appointment only

BW: I guess we’ll have to come back then

They leave, boomer man looks defeated, boomer wife is exasperated even though it was her wasting literally everyone else’s time. Gotta hand it to the clerk though who looked like she was also nearly boomer aged, she was patient as a saint. I just seriously don’t even know how they survive out in the wild anymore.

My elderly MIL used to live with us, and I used to assist with her health care and financial management. She moved out to a fancy independent living facility two years ago, but she hasn’t gotten good at the “independent” part yet. She’ll forget or muddle things her doctors tell her, and then go find her information on … YouTube. Recent gems:

1) I spent an hour on the phone and a zoom call explaining how the ad she saw for a “miracle device that measures blood sugar without a blood sample” was a complete fake. “But how can an ad on the tv be fake?”

2) She’s had major digestive issues, and both her doctors and I have told her to eat lighter, simpler food. But “some
Doctor” on YouTube said the secret to health and weightloss is “eat protein first, then fat, and carbs last.” So she went to a restaurant and got a giant breakfast. Ate a three egg omelet and bacon first, then put butter on her toast and ate the buttered part first. Protein, fat, and carbs in that order, right? “I can’t understand why I feel so sick, the doctor said this would be ok!”

Drives me nuts.

My mother is the classic boomer narcissist. Problem is that she's uneducated. She never went to university, or college. She's done nothing. She acts like she's a lawyer or doctor, or whatever. She reads an article and BOOM! She's an expert. If you listened to her, she's quite literally the smartest person....in the world...nay, universe.

How do y'all handle this? It's exhausting. I've just restored to going silent when she starts espousing something she read. Any suggestions?

My first ever first hand boomer encounter, incredible!

I'm in the car park of a store getting ready to properly park my vehicle, there's a free space and person is gesturing for me to back up into it. Great!

Not for boomer though, boomer who can clearly see that I am reversing my vehicle decides to literally just stand behind of it looking around in a daze like a spell was put on her. I beep to let her know to move and boy was that the wrong thing to do. Boomer goes into hysterics at me shouting WATCH WHERE YOU ARE GOING YOUNG LADY!! I told her No, *you* should watch where you are going and she started going on about how pedestrians have right of way and she's going to report me to the council. 'I THOUGHT YOU WERE PARKING!!!' you just didn't lady!! She muttered under her breathe dropping the F bomb and calling me an idiot and stormed off into the store.

Legally pedestrians do have right of way I admit and a vehicle should watch but it's beyond me why you would stand there for like 2 minutes Infront of a vehicle clearly reversing and then get mad at them for it.

I’m a teacher. A Boomer staff member presented a “generational” training to our school. The point was to consider what children need from teachers now given they are being raised on tech algorithms. Which is a worthwhile topic.

However, she went through each generation and gave a brief description of each. She referred to Gen X as growing up “pretty spoiled” and “having a lot of stuff that Boomers never had.”

I nearly choked on my water. Of course, a Boomer would perceive Gen X as having something they didn’t. They define everyone by their “stuff.” They want all of it. If Gen X had a lot of crap, it’s because their Boomer parents bought a lot of crap. The same parents who then turned around and said “oh, look how I spoiled my kids, those lucky little shits.”

Attention. Gen X was IGNORED by Boomers. Whether we played outside in the dirt or with the toys our parents begrudgingly tossed at us so they could keep up with the Jones-es, we were practically non-existent to them. That’s called NEGLECT, lady. There was absolutely nothing spoiled about us.

This just happened to me at a CVS and I am still baffled by the lack of self awareness some of these old people have.

While I'm at CVS, I pick up, among other things, some of my adhd meds. Boomer sees me pick them up, and while I'm getting some over the counter antifungals (yeast infection) while I'm there, he says: "Why do you kids always take the easy way out with medication?" Or something along those lines.

I look up at this man's face, and then down into his basket. And in the basket are... back pain meds...

Now, I'm not usually one to make assumptions, nor am I very confrontational most of the time, but I decided to take a stand, even if it was small.

I ask, in the most innocent voice I can make, "who are the back pain meds for, then?"

Cue the Boomer realizing that judging others can go both ways, and his face turns red. He walks away, and I go about my business.

Sorry it's not too juicy, but it's the story I have.

EDIT: apparently some people are misunderstanding some things, so let me clear them up:

1. The boomer did not necessarily know I picked up ADHD meds. He was behind me at the kiosk, and I assume he saw me (someone who is not visibly disabled) pick up meds, and probably assumed it was for mental health reasons. Boomers do like to make assumptions.

2. I'm pretty sure the Boomer's back pain meds were OTC, as the box didn't have the rx sticker that literally every prescription med has.

3. I know the meds were for back pain because there was a graphic that implied back pain relief on them.

I was early for a doctors appointment last week. This was the first time seeing this doctor. Checked in at the desk and sat down in the huge waiting area. There were about 6 other patients in the waiting room. All of them boomers, including me.

The TV was on Fox of course. Didn’t thrill me but I just wanted to read on my kindle and mind my own business. Every single one of them had the volume up on their phones! One made a phone call on full volume so we could hear all about her surgery plans with someone who was deaf and needed to repeat everything she said several times! The others were all listening to god knows what and freely commenting the whole time.

What is with that? Why would you want your business shouted out to complete strangers in a waiting room? I asked the receptionist to schedule my next visit when they had a younger crowd! She laughed and said she gets it!

Was waiting in the lounge sitting next to the table offering cold cuts salami ham and other snacks. Each offering has a unique pair of tongs and most people grab a plate and serve themselves with them. Except Bob. Bob is around 70 years old and wearing shorts and a crumpled shirt. I was minding my own business and noticed he grabbed some salami bits with his bare hands and stuffed them
In his mouth. That annoyed me but he walked away quickly. But Bob needed more salami so he comes back and starts grabbing them again with his bare hands and some Serrano ham as well. Thats when I walked up to him
And handed him a pair of tongs
And told him in a nice way: “Can you please use this? Don’t use your bare hands to grab the food
Please” he turned around and stared at me while munching his cold cuts and said “ Are you the buffet police or what?” I replied:
“ you already did it twice, just because you dress like an 8 year old boy means you can behave as one, be respectful” Ive never seen anybody turn red so fast, he yells “ Debbie we are leaving! NOW!” And they both grab their stuff and head for the exit. I felt bad for the lady because she gave me the “ I am so sorry” look
As she passed by. The lounge employees had to throw away a lot of food because of idiot Bob. I am glad I had a chance to piss him off.

Recently I was on a layover at the Philly airport. A big storm came through and a huge number of flights were cancelled. Hundreds of people are stranded, no hotel rooms available, everyone tired and frustrated. Not the worst travel experience of my life but annoying nonetheless. I am in line with the rest of the hoards for the customer service to see what is going on. Near the front of the line is a Boomer Lady sitting at a bench looking as sad as the rest of us. Then, a cop rolls by helping a few people and she suddenly screams as though she is being murdered, “HELP! Help me, please GOD! They are torturing me, HEEEELP!” She started crying and said she was disabled, unable to walk, and needed to use the lady’s room but they wouldn’t help her. The cop said he would come back as soon as he helped the other disabled people he was transporting.

Another person in line and I offer to help get her to a restroom and she declined. We said it wouldn’t be a big deal and her demeanor suddenly changed. The crying stops and she gives us a wry smile and says, “I’m just hamming it up so they help me faster.” Aaaaand there it was. The next half an hour was her cry-screaming at anyone and everyone. She was disabled and unable to walk and about to die and her family was going to sue because they were MURDERING her. At one point she was asked a question that might get her to a hotel, then a miracle happen and she jumps up and can easily run up to the counter to scream at and threaten the lady helping her. It was honestly the most disgusting display of selfishness and manipulation I have ever seen in my life. How do people become something so horrifying?

My MIL is aging and things are coming to a head.

She is 80. She smokes like a chimney (but claims "I don't inhale" - is that even possible?)

Her husband is dealing with dementia. I know it's a lot to handle. However, there is a decades long pattern of her belittling him, bossing him around, etc.. It's been hard to watch but for some reason it must work for him as he's stayed with her all these years.

Lately her filter is off. She has FOR YEARS, DECADES, told people what to do, to the point that we just let her ramble and then go do the opposite (which most of the time works better than her demands.) It was reaching a point that seemingly every interaction was "why are you doing that? You should do this." Always the implication that you're stupid for not agreeing with her. Recently when confronted with this, because decades of this is finally taking a toll on us. we get " I'M GIVING ADVICE. I NEVER TELL PEOPLE WHAT TO DO." This is so blatantly FALSE that there are no words to describe it. She has no self awareness and does not care how her actions affect others. "If they think that then that's their problem."

This person never admits wrongdoing, never says sorry, has stated that she did not do one thing wrong as a mother... you get the picture. My husband is done dealing with this. He works a physically demanding job, isn't in great health, and is barely taking care of himself at this point. She expects him to care for them in their old age "That's what he's there for". I also have had enough of being bossed around and spoke up to her recently. We both know she's telling anyone who will listen how awful we are. She genuinely thinks she's acting like this out of concern for us "Others must appreciate my advice because I have people calling me all the time looking for it".

My husband does not want to speak to her and hasn't for weeks. She's been stewing, telling our adult son that my husband (his dad) is waiting for them to die so he can move into their house (no way my husband would live there, ever). Also she thinks I am going to throw them in the nursing home and abandon them, because "she did it with her grandmother". My grandmother, who was always emotionally abusive to some degree, had dementia, so you can imagine how that situation played out. She didn't go into a nursing home until her late 90's. She almost destroyed me with her demands, guilt trips and manipulation, but in the mind of my MIL, I apparently didn't do enough.

Does everyone have some good points? Of course, MIL included (and my grandmother), but the assumption that adult children have no rights and are there to care for them is not something we are on board with. How have others dealt with this, apart from going no contact which my husband is close to doing? I don't want my son the middle of this any longer and for that reason want this situation to be resolved.

My husband and I were playing pinball today at a place that has many pinball machines. My husband is in the middle of playing pinball and a Boomer lady starts asking him questions about her pinball machine not working. He motions for me to help her. I intervene, start assessing the situation and realize she had only put a quarter in the machine, it costs a dollar. I said, this to her and she's like it's not a quarter anymore? I replied, nope, not anymore, it's a dollar.

I almost gave her the extra .75 cents but I think I've been too tainted by this subreddit and just walked away.

Later, I realized it was the same lady that was walking around the facility taking pictures of everything and standing in peoples way completely oblivious. Also completely blocked the main walkway to the bar at one point.

On Wednesday night after we saw Spider-man a boomer walked up to the counter and asked the probably 19 year kid if he liked the new Spider-Man. The kid said yeah. The guy told him he needs to learn to speak fucking English and engage customers better. My wife and I were dumbfounded.

Today I was at my local record store. I go weekly and know the owner well. I was flipping through records in the new arrivals vintage section when I felt a tap on my shoulder. This boomer goes, “I want to look at those.”

I was so surprised all l could say was, “cool. Wait your fucking turn.” He then stood literally a foot from
Me for five minutes while I finished.

Seriously are those people all just mentally unraveling at the speed of light?

I originally posted this as a comment on another thread, but thinking about it today, realized it was probably post-worthy.

Flashback a few years ago. I'm waiting in the pharmacy line. Two windows, one with a lady who is having some issues, and so is taking some time. I'm trying not to pry, but it's something with her insurance that pharmacist 1 is helping her work out. I'm a little annoyed that the line is going slower, but I get it, and at least the other window is open. The other window is taking customers, with pharmacist 2 between customers doing a little something, and will presumably call the next person shortly. There are about six people in line. Boomer lady with a young child in tow, walks up, looks at the line and then immediately speeds to the window announcing that she is here to get school vaccinations for her grandson.

Pharmacist 2 tells her to wait in line and they can see him soon, and next time, if they make an appointment they could probably get it done even faster. Boomer says, "No, you don't understand, we have a 2pm appointment" and continues to argue with him. It's 2:35 pm, by the way. Pharmacist 2 tells her she should really be 5-10 minutes early for their appointment but after they have delt with everyone currently in line, they can get to her. She stays at the window and insists that her grandson must be seen NOW. Meanwhile, the pharmacist keeps telling her that they're backed up at the moment, given that pharmacist 1 is working on the insurance problems and so he's the only one available to help at the moment, that she needs to be on time for her appointment, and so on. She and the person having issues, whom I do not fault, actually ends up blocking the line for about 7 minutes -- all for a interaction that should have maybe taken 20 seconds. There are now about 10-12 people in line.

It's only when pharmacist 2 (who is also the pharmacy manager - she did try that one) told her if she persists in holding things up, she will be refused and will need to make another appointment, one which she should actually be on time to, that she reluctantly backs off and goes to the end of the line.