rhubarb

The things paranoid schizophrenics say can be funny, I agree. Most of the time, though, they are downright scary. I should know. My mother was one, diagnosed when I was very young. My extensive family kept trying to have me removed from her custody, and as you can imagine, those efforts made her act out even more.

I laughed only once at her; I couldn't help it. Upon the start of the first Gulf War, my mother called me saying that Saddam Hussein's airplanes were going to bomb the Lawrence Livermore Lab and start a nuclear holocaust. I burst out laughing before I could stop myself. She said, "You don't think that will happen?"

How do you explain to an 84-year-old woman who doesn't have a clue about the range of aircraft and what it takes to start a chain reaction? You don't.

You say, "No, Mama, it will be all right and Saddam is not going to invade Berkeley. Go back to bed, Mama." Still, she slept with a knife on the bedstand in case the marauders got into her home. Sigh.

It must have been awful for her, as for Friedman, to live such a distorted and fear-filled life, so angry and so afraid for decades. I'm glad she's at peace now.




	rhubarb Home Get Email Updates AUTOBIOGRAPHY Demented Diary Going Wodwo Crochet Lady Dan Gent Sue Woodstock ***Bloglines*** Sky Friday John Kindle Daily Deal Email Me Admin Password Remember Me 2409647 Curiosities served Share on Facebook				2004-05-10 1:13 PM Thinking about Mom Previous Entry :: Next Entry Read/Post Comments (0) The things paranoid schizophrenics say can be funny, I agree. Most of the time, though, they are downright scary. I should know. My mother was one, diagnosed when I was very young. My extensive family kept trying to have me removed from her custody, and as you can imagine, those efforts made her act out even more. I laughed only once at her; I couldn't help it. Upon the start of the first Gulf War, my mother called me saying that Saddam Hussein's airplanes were going to bomb the Lawrence Livermore Lab and start a nuclear holocaust. I burst out laughing before I could stop myself. She said, "You don't think that will happen?" How do you explain to an 84-year-old woman who doesn't have a clue about the range of aircraft and what it takes to start a chain reaction? You don't. You say, "No, Mama, it will be all right and Saddam is not going to invade Berkeley. Go back to bed, Mama." Still, she slept with a knife on the bedstand in case the marauders got into her home. Sigh. It must have been awful for her, as for Friedman, to live such a distorted and fear-filled life, so angry and so afraid for decades. I'm glad she's at peace now. Read/Post Comments (0) Previous Entry :: Next Entry Back to Top