You know the saying, you've probably heard it a thousand times, but do you follow that saying? It may be because I'm an optimist or because I hate conflict, but I tend to follow this little notion. The problem is, you can not sweat the small stuff, but worse off, obsess over it.
I know I can't influence my mom in any way, except maybe to offer advice, (which she never takes) or to sit back and deal with it. However, it is irritating and annoying to hear her whine about something over and over again for such and such a time. Now I know everyone is different, and they deal with stress and whatnot differently, and I respect that, I really do, but isn't there some line that can be drawn?
Even though I am leaving for college in less then two weeks, it's stressing to have my mom bitch for hours on end about something trivial. She'll bitch about the T.V. if it's not working, or curse constantly. Not to mention, she obsesses that her hair isn't turning out, her stomach is huge, she's gaining weight, all insignigicant compared to the rest of the things going on in her life.
Now, if I weren't sleep deprived, I would say more, so tomorrow or whenever I remember, I will update.
Maybe the reason your mom is complaining about all of these little things is that she is trying to distract herself from a bigger issue. You mentioned other problems that are more important, and maybe she really is worried about one of those things but is trying to hide it, because she wants to forget it, or knows she can't do anything about it. So it is easier to worry about something she has control over, such as her appearance. Sorry to psychoanalyze, but it sounds like there is a deeper problem. Try asking your mom if the problem really is the TV or if she is worried about something else.
Like what you've read? Well, then here's more:
http://www.progressiveu.org/blog/tricia0711