DEAR ABBY: Yesterday my husband and oldest son went to pick up my youngest son from my parents' home. During the 15 minutes they were there, my parents told them nine times that they had something for our children, and they would be over another day to help assemble it. Also, my mother repeated eight times to our oldest son to make sure he didn't allow his brother to have a small object. None of us have hearing problems, and my oldest son is very smart and responsible when it comes to knowing what his little brother can and cannot have.
My parents are in their early 60s. Both of them are healthy. The thing is, they repeat themselves over and over again all the time. What makes a person do this? We have tried telling them that they have already told us a dozen times. Whenever we try, they either "don't get it" or they get upset and pout. Does anyone else have to deal with this? It's really annoying. -- PETE AND REPEAT IN OHIO
DEAR PETE AND REPEAT: Absolutely. However, they are usually families whose relative is suffering from some form of dementia or has had small strokes. I don't know how long this problem has been going on, but your parents' doctor should be alerted that there may be a potential problem.