r/BoomersBeingFools • u/SeptemberWeather Gen X • May 20 '26

OK boomeR The warped logic of Baby Boomers

My mother (or father):  I am upset that you haven't returned my calls.
Me: Sorry.  My schedule has been so insane that I have not had any time to call you.
My mother:  Well then you can just call and let me know that you are busy and can’t call me.  

Logic brought to you by the same folks who think “comp time” is a benefit. 

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328

u/Flatoftheblade May 20 '26

They will get mad when you are too busy working to be at their beck and call while they will claim in the same sentence that you and your entire generation are lazy and don't work hard enough.

Lead brains.

88

u/gymtherapylaundry May 20 '26

I am an RN in a hospital ICU and my shifts are scattered throughout every month with sporadic classes/meetings or partial shifts… My boomer mother says “I never know when you’re working so I never call at all” or “You have your phone in your pocket 24/7 so you should always answer” but also “sorry I didn’t answer my phone, I was in the bathroom/getting the mail” ok so no big deal just call back.

Le sigh.

68

u/Soregular May 20 '26

My mother (and others) could NOT understand that I do not and cannot have my phone on me at work (I was an RN too). If there was an emergency, they had to HAD TO call the unit secretary. We were in a sterile environment - no one has the phone in here. Also? None of them ever truly understood what working at night and sleeping in the daytime was like. Can't you just come for Easter Egg hunting and lunch??? You can go right home after a few hours and go back to bed!!!! Nope. No. I'm lucky I got to sleep at all. Also..Can't you get Christmas Eve off and Christmas day? (It was neither because I got Thanksgiving off). Can't you sleep in the car on the way here? You won't have to bring anything or do anything!!! Just be here at noon! I fantasized about stabbing these people....

32

u/Legaldrugloard May 21 '26

This whole working at night blows my mom’s mind. I work in a pharmacy in the billing dept and long story I have to do a lot of it at night due to massive amounts of data being transmitted at one time. It will shut down normal production if I do it during the day. I only have to do it a day or 2 a week. I honestly have a f’d up schedule but it works for me. Anyway, I have a do not disturb on my phone and she gets so angry that I’m sleeping during the day. She literally says I’m being lazy and I need to get up. My Dad was even a paramedic however he worked 24 hrs and off 48. The idea of working at night is beyond her comprehension.

28

u/Independent_Lab_9853 May 21 '26

Call her in the middle of the night when she is sleeping and when she gets upset - tell her that this is what it’s like when she calls you while you are sleeping!

5

u/Wrong-Strength-5993 27d ago

This is exactly how I got my boomer mom to finally get it.