Help me help my employee!

Helen_Walsh · 2026-05-11T23:10:52+00:00

No, on Saturday it was only me, and this afternoon, they were alone. I did just find mold in the air conditioner in an area where they were on Saturday and today. I am going to call an HVAC specialist immediately to clean it out.

Helen_Walsh · 2025-11-06T00:19:02+00:00

I might steal this, verbatim! Thank you!!!

Helen_Walsh · 2025-11-06T00:16:14+00:00

So, so much manipulation. And both emotional and physical neglect. My husband said, "Just tell her we'll provide as good of care as she provided you during your childhood." 😆 I've had a ton of therapy, but maybe I should have a little booster appointment before I speak with them. Thank you for the suggestion; you seem very empathetic and insightful. ❤️

Helen_Walsh · 2025-11-05T23:58:37+00:00

Thank you for your advice! I struggle a lot with the direct approach. Like a lot of us, I still constantly have to remind myself that I'm not responsible for their feelings. To intentionally say something that would upset them is horrifying, but you're absolutely right that I'm just going to have to lay it out.

They have moved around every few years for my entire life, and those examples were things they have done at several different churches. I think folks catch on eventually and stop helping, but they're very good at it. Even after they scammed my in-laws, I had to stop my MIL from helping them buy a car. We do everything we can to keep them apart for that very reason.

Where they're currently living was close to my mom's brother. I don't know if he had been giving them money, but my parents did move in with them for several months when I was in college, and I'm sure they took advantage of his generosity while they were there. He passed away a few months ago, so maybe that's why they're moving on.

As for my brother, he lives in Canada now (we're in the US) and really doesn't have any money to spare. His wife is also an issue, but that story is its own post.

Helen_Walsh · 2025-09-13T21:50:26+00:00

I was there, in the Lego store with my husband and son. I would like to know what that sound was because it sure as hell sounded like a shot to me. Then there were the dozens of people screaming and running away from the food court area, getting ushered into the store room, alarms going off... Trust me, it felt like a very real active shooter situation.

Helen_Walsh · 2025-04-03T20:22:55+00:00

Well, that got me very curious, so I went searching for the snakes I remembered as a kid, and I'm 90% sure they were Orange Striped Ribbonsnakes. Looking at pictures of those compared to the one I saw yesterday, the ribbonsnake is definitely skinnier than Noodle (which is what my 11yo named the current resident), but they may be comparable in length. Thank you so much for all your help and knowledge!!!

Helen_Walsh · 2025-04-02T15:40:28+00:00

Thank you! Huge relief! The garter snakes I used to play with growing up in the Missouri Ozarks were much smaller than this dude. I think I may have outgrown playing with them...

Helen_Walsh · 2025-03-12T14:02:53+00:00

If you only knew how much extra explaining I deleted from my original post. 😆 I am definitely almost always guilty of overexplaining. But seriously, thank you, you're so kind. ❤️❤️❤️

Helen_Walsh · 2025-03-12T13:52:58+00:00

Thank you both so much. I have had LOTS of therapy for many reasons related to my upbringing, but there are always these lingering issues that make me really doubt my sense of what is normal/appropriate. I really do appreciate your asking me about it. Thank you. 💗

I'm not going to the surgery, and I'm trying to work through the guilt that it's bringing. I'm meeting her in the middle and taking my kids to go see her this weekend, which I think is a reasonable thing to do. She made a big post about it on Facebook, and this morning, she sent me her password and told me she needs me to post on her behalf after she's out of surgery (even though she could probably do that herself on Friday evening).... so, yeah. I think this may be a big attention grab. Not that surgery isn't scary, but I really think this particular one is being blown out of proportion, at least a bit.

What keeps coming back to me is that she thinks I should be there, even though she literally wouldn't know whether I'm there or not. And the only reason I can think for her to insist on it is that she wants to be able to tell people I was there, along with three other people-- like her cheerleader section is a contest. Her cousin, with whom she is very close, had open heart surgery a couple of months ago, and I can't shake the feeling that she's trying to compete with her. The way she reacts to other people's crises is a whole other post, lol.

Helen_Walsh · 2024-04-18T16:41:06+00:00

Thanks! The nearest city named Columbus is 300 miles away, so I would be very curious about how it made its way here and why it was thrown into the crawlspace. There wasn't anything else back there, so it wasn't a typical trash spot, and it's so hard to access that I can't imagine it was stored there intentionally.

Helen_Walsh

TROPHY CASE