Oh this one is for me.
I am, for the next two weeks anyway, thirty-one years old. I have to phone my dad each and every saturday night I am out to allay his fears that I have been killed. He's always had really bad problems with his nerves and can drive himself to an almost choking frenzy of imagination if he doesn't know where I am. I used to struggle against it, now I simply admit defeat and fire off a text if I'm going to be out all night.

Recent mind-bogglers include a few years back when my mum was in hospital. His nerves were, understandably I suppose, shredded, as were mine, and I decided after our nightly visit that I would go out in town with my friends to take my mind off things. They had already left when I got home, so I decided to get the bus and train in on my own.

He. Hit. The. Roof.

I was "absolutely stupid" for thinking about going on a train on my own *ON A SATURDAY NIGHT* of all times, and as for the bus? Sheer suicide! He ended up driving me there because he just couldn't take the stress of his 29 year old son being on a bus alone. My teeth were worn down a lot that night holding back the tirade I wanted to unleash on him.

The worst ever, though, was around 10-11 years ago. I'd been out on new years eve at a local party with my mates and girlfriend, after which I walked the gf home, then went to my friends house where we had a laugh, a drink and went to sleep.

When I got in the next day at around 12, I discovered my dad had been out all night knocking on every other friend I had's door (apart from the house I was in, bizarrely)to find me and phoning everyone he could think of telling them I was "missing". The mind-boggling part of this is h genuinely didn't see anything freakish or mental about what he had done. It was new years eve! I live in a small village in Scotland for Christ's sake, not the fucking Democratic Republic of Congo!

He's slightly better since I moved out. Slightly.
( baw__bag contains traces of nuts on, Sun 13 Sep 2009, 21:42, 3 replies)

I understand the pain of ill parents.
Feeling your pain there bro, my Mother can be very fucking mental over silly things like that. The worst part of it is trying to explain to some one who is mentally ill that the fears they have are irrational. It would be so much easier to just tell them to Fuck off because they are fucking mental, but that comes with a side dish of guilt from watching them cry. Sometimes it is easier to give in to parents with OCD, Mental Anguish or other debilitating mental health issues.
( Rev. Jayneflakes Buy my book, I need the cash for drugs and hookers, Mon 14 Sep 2009, 10:23, closed)

Well said.
They can't help it really, but it doesn't make it less annoying.
(Lalalalou, Mon 14 Sep 2009, 12:30, closed)

Yup
all he really needs is a text every so often, if I can fire one off without anyone noticing it's no bother to me at all. I do need to be one step ahead though, make sure if I hear there's been trouble anywhere/a crash on the motorway/ a fight in the local pub I have to phone him before he wigs out and thinks it was me.
( baw__bag contains traces of nuts on, Tue 15 Sep 2009, 1:31, closed)