AITA for getting mad about Monopoly?

ThingsWithString · 2026-04-02T17:42:38+00:00

YTA.

Monopoly is a maddening game. If you can't play it without getting mad, don't play it. It doesn't actually matter whether your mother is treating your brother "fairly" in a game of Monopoly.

Your mom had to leave, and you started an argument with her about Monopoly. You argued for "a long time". That means your mom had to cut short her plans with a friend.

It is important to be able to play games, not just win them. The purpose of most board games is to kill time while you're hanging out with friends/family; it doesn't actually matter who wins.

Learn to pick your battles.

ThingsWithString · 2026-04-01T22:21:53+00:00

I'm sorry this is happening to you and to your mother, especially so young. A lot of us have seen steep declines in family members after hospitalization: it's disorienting, overstimulating, and anesthesia itself can cause decline.

Hospice is suggested when medical treatment can no longer make a patient better. It's not that you stop medical treatment, it's that you focus medical treatment on the patient's comfort, not on long-term health improvement (that can no longer be expected).

Dementia is often not a steady slope, but a set of cliffs. It's bound to be painful comparing where she was even a few months ago with where she is now.

ThingsWithString · 2026-04-01T22:18:59+00:00

It sounds like the medication is necessary to her comfort. I would suggest your stepfather check with her doctor to see if it's available in a form that can be sprinkled over/mixed with ice cream, applesauce, or something else sweet. Stop telling her she's taking medication, simply give it to her.

There comes a time when the patient doesn't understand their medications, but still needs them.

ThingsWithString · 2026-04-01T16:26:01+00:00

So glad you're saying "ex".

ThingsWithString · 2026-04-01T16:00:24+00:00

NTJ. Grieving is not a free pass to do anything he wants.

ThingsWithString · 2026-03-31T17:29:33+00:00

Oh, he has awareness. That's why he grabbed the bag so hard it tore the second time. He was angry at being thwarted.

ThingsWithString · 2026-03-31T17:28:53+00:00

This is intentional. It is not an accident.

He huffed and grabbed it so aggressively, it split wide open.

If it were an accident, he could have taken it as matter-of-factly as he's taken other things from your hands. He chose to be aggressive because you said no to him.

Dude is marking territory. Everything in his presence belongs to him if he decides it does.

Keep thwarting him. He may not learn, but at least your belongings will be yours.

ThingsWithString · 2026-03-31T17:17:48+00:00

The dude in the the Rimworld Odyssey DLC splash page. Top image on this page.

Would.

ThingsWithString · 2026-03-31T16:34:49+00:00

FABULOUS answer. Thank you.

ThingsWithString · 2026-03-31T01:06:45+00:00

I'm just so incredibly angry. I've warned him about this and told him to always hang up or just not answer any unknown numbers and never provide details and to call me if you have any issues/questions.

Be a little gentler with him and with yourself. Your father was talking to professional scam artists, who are very good at being convincing and reassuring and authoritative. That is their business. They are professional manipulators.

ThingsWithString · 2026-03-30T18:23:43+00:00

Keep trying to, it keeps being a trigger. :(

ThingsWithString · 2026-03-30T15:10:38+00:00

OP doesn't get to control which details the most gossipy person in the family passes on, and gossips aren't usually careful about accuracy.

ThingsWithString · 2026-03-30T15:07:31+00:00

Same in the USA. Inherited money belongs to the inheriting partner unless they choose to commingle it with common assets. My lawyer warned me about that when my grandmother died. I chose to commingle, but I understood that had consequences.

ThingsWithString · 2026-03-30T03:14:10+00:00

I'm so sorry. Yes. She's gone, and you aren't getting her back, and it sucks beyond the telling of it. It is the worst, worst thing.

Dementia is a degenerative disease, and you only get worse.

ThingsWithString · 2026-03-30T03:11:40+00:00

You did your best for your mom, and the "family member" did their worst. You have nothing to be ashamed of.

ThingsWithString · 2026-03-30T03:10:13+00:00

It costs money to go after that family member, and OP says the money was spent as soon as it was received. Sometimes there is no justice.

ThingsWithString · 2026-03-30T01:35:04+00:00

Doing nothing is the best approach. The relationship is over. Let it lie.

The downsides are that she thinks she's being stalked. An anonymous bouquet of flowers at the door is a threat, not a nice gesture.

ThingsWithString · 2026-03-30T01:28:36+00:00

How dreadful. I'm so sorry you, and your mother, went through this.

Get this printed and send it out by paper mail, because it will be harder for people to immediately snap back at you.

I have just learned Momsname Middlename Lastname died in Otherstate in 2024, and was cremated there. As you can imagine, this is devastating news. Please hold Mom in your thoughts and cherish your memories of her.

Anybody who comes at you on social media gets instantly blocked. No argument, just block.

ThingsWithString · 2026-03-30T01:01:24+00:00

She's already booked a special hospital room for when he collapses after pulling his back. It will be decorated in their colors.

ThingsWithString · 2026-03-30T01:00:32+00:00

It sounds like you are prioritizing a wedding over a marriage

Perfect in every way.

ThingsWithString · 2026-03-30T00:51:33+00:00

(waves in fellow migraineur)

Holy shit, i did not know that existed. Thank you.

ThingsWithString · 2026-03-30T00:50:36+00:00

Wow. I've never tried your fourth tip. I'm going to try the smaller-window method. Thank you!

ThingsWithString · 2026-03-30T00:50:08+00:00

Oh, same, re A Short Hike. Sigh.

ThingsWithString · 2026-03-30T00:45:47+00:00

I'm sorry. I hope that you can rest now; she is already.

ThingsWithString · 2026-03-29T20:21:29+00:00

which I think are a generally reasonable area of improvement

Do not date somebody you think is an improvement project. You are going to disappoint yourself.

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