Reply #83: Great advice here...

[JM]

"If you are clear that you meant no ill-will, then their response is their problem. You don't need to be drawn into their drama. Eventually, they will stop playing the game when you don't feed into it."

This is what we now do. My mother and I had one hell of a blowup because she wanted to be the center of attention at her father's 85th birthday party. True, it was close to her birthday too, but rather than trying to be a positive part of the gathering, she picked a huge fight with me, my brother, and my sister. She now regrets it.

Later,
JM