I Am So Stressed Right Now and Kind of Pissed Off

[amberfocus]

My Mother. Backed Into. My Car. My mother backed into my flipping car. Not the Sienna, thank goodness, but the old one. The one we are selling. The one that has a buyer who is saving the money up (and we said we'd wait, no rush, and now we will have to knock the price down, I'm sure). The one that has survived 21 years without a ding or scratch to the paint job. Without a dent. The one we have taken such good care of for all these years that it still looks fairly new. LOOKED fairly new. I am so pissed off and she is acting like it is no big thing.

She put a dent into it. Right under the trunk latch. I don't even know if the trunk will open now as I don't know what Chris did with the keys and he's in Alaska. And there is a chunk of paint that got knocked off, an inch wide and 1/2 an inch or more high. It's visible from halfway down the driveway. And she doesn't even care. And you know I won't be able to fix it. I don't want to put anymore money into a car I'm selling in a month or two. I doubt it's worth our insurance deductible and if I even tried to make her insurance pay for it she would make my life a misery (because after all, it's not a big deal).

She's all, "It didn't do any damage." Um...a freaking dent and gouged paint is no damage? If you'd done this in a parking lot to someone else would you have just driven away and not taken responsibility because there was "no damage" done? Just take some responsibility, Mom. At least say you are flipping sorry you were backing up so carelessly. The car has only been parked in that same spot for months and months. It's not like you didn't know it was there and if you weren't backing down the driveway like a maniac with the tailgate down, maybe you wouldn't have hit it. At least show that you care that you damaged my belongings. You can bet if I'd backed into her truck or her precious Jimmy she'd be raising high holy hell, but because it's something that is mine, not hers, it just doesn't matter. She didn't even offer to fix it. Of course it didn't do any damage to her truck, therefore it didn't do any damage at all.

What the hell, Mom? You raised me better than that. What's your excuse for this kind of behavior?



Also, if one more person walks down the bloody street with a baby stroller instead of using the sidewalk, I swear I'm going to lose it. Who walks on the road with their baby when there is a perfecly serviceable sidewalk across the street (and a safe crosswalk with light to get there)? And these women? Walking side by side, with two strollers, in my lane. When the sidewalk is in perfect condition. No bumps. No raised portions of concrete. No weeds. I was not happy. I wanted to yell at them. I did not. But. Pedestrians belong on the sidewalk when there is one (it is okay if there is not one) and at the very least need to walk FACING TRAFFIC if they are going to be foolish enough to walk on the road. Especially a road with no shoulder. And while I'm at it? Joggers? Stay out of the flipping bike lanes. Those are for cyclists. Car drivers? Stop parking in the flipping bike lane while you wait to pick up your kids from school. It is not a parking spot. It is a flipping bike lane. Why can't people just go where they are supposed to go and stay out of the spots that are meant for other modes of travel? It would make it so much easier on everyone.

Comments

[milieva]

Sounds like what happened to my car when I was a teenager. My friend's mom backed into my car and then refused to pay for it. I laughed at the time because that is my typical reaction at the moment of something so surprising.

I'm sorry.

And yeah, Why can't people use the side walk when there is one. We have walkers and joggers who go around here after dark. Which is horrible because there are practically no street lights so you don't see them until you almost hit them. We don't have sidewalks, but still. They could at least wear reflective gear.

[jessalrynn.livejournal.com]

*hugs* And THEN they act surprised that we tell them what to do, and start claiming they're adults when we have to treat them like little kids because: "surprise, Mum, you're acting like a LITTLE KID"!

All I can say, the ONLY thing, is *hugs*

[amyo67.livejournal.com]

I totally agree with you. and don't you worry about venting. That's what we're here for, my friend.

((HUGS))

[valiant-queene.livejournal.com]

Wow. That sounds incredibly stressful!

*hugs*

[biteymadlady58.livejournal.com]

Oh dear, your venting sounds amazingly like my venting lately. LOL! I've decided to set up excuses for my future behavior: Menopausal, overworked (inherited the entire workload of retired colleague), vitamin deficient and recently became a non-smoker (again) a month ago. I'm just looking for an excuse to go postal. ;-)

But you're right, Mom needs put on her big girl pants and pay for the damages.

She's probably mortified that she hit your car, but stubbornly refuses to acknowledge it because it impugns her driving ability. Older people are sometimes terrified that once their driving ability becomes impaired that they'll lose their freedom. Having had to be a part of taking away the keys from both my mother and my mother-in-law, I know how fiercely they'll defend their driving skills.

Nevertheless, you should probably be very firm about payment of damages. Not to the point of filing a suit and appearing on People's Court, of course! LOL!!! But I personally wouldn't let it go.

Feel free to vent anytime... ;-) You deserve it.

[biteymadlady58.livejournal.com]

Oh, yeah... and the women who push buggies in the street?!? I've seen those! I've rolled down the window and threatened to call Social Services to report child endangerment! There is no rational reason for that if the sidewalks are in good repair. NONE.

[tracy-lousia.livejournal.com]

*hugs* vent away, you need to do it from time to time. Hope your mum steps up and sorts it out. And stupid women with buggies. Why do some ppl have no common sense.

[allie diaz (from livejournal.com)]

lol! my parents have done that to me more than once. my mum broke my driver side mirror backing out the driveway and busted my tail light pulling in. but at least she tried to fix what she broke w mighty putty and gaffer tape respectively, unlike daddy. my 1st car constantly had imprints of my dad's vehicle plates cuz he'd fracken kiss the boot or the bonnet when he parked and didnt bother to try and be careful!

[develish1]

a good vent can be quite a the stress reliever can't it?

*hugs*