Family Drama at the Castle: When Hearing Aids and Communication Clash
Introduction: Imagine you’re sitting through a play at a picturesque castle when your hearing aids decide to act up. That’s just the beginning of the drama that unfolds in this real-life Reddit tale filled with miscommunication, emotions, and a whole lot of sass.
A Night at the Castle
Everyone loves a good outdoor play, right? Well, except when your hearing aids decide to pull a disappearing act on their battery life. Our protagonist, a 17-year-old tough cookie, found herself in just such a predicament. Let’s call her Hazel because every good story needs a good ol’ pseudonym.
So, Hazel, wearing her trusty hearing aids, goes along with her family to watch a promising play at a castle. But lo and behold, the hearing aids didn’t charge properly, leaving her to decipher Shakespeare (or whatever they were performing) practically by lip-reading. Ever tried that? Good luck!
“Where’s the Off Switch?”
Sitting there, surrounded by endless chatter, Hazel bravely attempts to enjoy the show. “Hey, maybe this isn’t so bad,” she thinks. But soon enough, her head feels like it’s in the spin cycle of a washing machine. The noise is overwhelming, she’s slamming into sensory overload, and it’s break time! Time to bail! She politely asks her father for the train tickets. Our heroine isn’t up for round two.
But oh, her mother, who we’ll briefly call “Matriarch of Miscommunication” or MOM, intercepts with the heartwarming, “Thank you for ruining my evening” phone call. Classic, right? MOM also drops a zinger about Hazel having to leave the con early they had a previous agreement about. Mommy dearest sure knows how to twist the knife.
The Ruined Day Continues
Fast forward, Hazel heads off to the con and gets a chirpy follow-up call from MOM, who, as if suffering from short-term memory loss, sweetly asks why Hazel didn’t call upon her arrival. Well, Hazel, serving some deliciously chilled ‘Revenge Ice Cream,’ retorts, “didn’t want to ruin your day.” Oof! Direct hit!
MOM couldn’t have seen that coming—they never do, do they? She quickly shoots a missile back in the form of a long text listing all Hazel’s so-called failings, including cleaning her room and not showing her what she packed. At this point, it’s clear that poor communication is a family heirloom.
Showdown on the Cellphone
Now, armed with furious fingers, Hazel dials up MOM and lets her have it. Every pent-up emotion, every single point of argument, is unleashed in a torrent. MOM tries to pipe up but guess who’s having none of it? That’s right, it’s Hazel’s one-woman show now.
After yelling her piece, Hazel hears something unsettling on the other end—MOM is crying. But the call ends before any peace treaties are signed. Neither side is offering olive branches today.
Sassy Opinion: You Go, Hazel!
Alright, let’s dissect this. Hazel, darling, I tip my metaphorical hat to you. You’ve got more patience than a saint sitting through that play sans hearing aids. But let’s get real: family drama, especially with communication issues, is a minefield. And your reaction? Completely justified. You’re 17; you’re dealing with your condition on top of your mom’s drama. Anyone would blow up!
However, sweetness, blowing a gasket isn’t the healthiest way to handle things long-term. Open up dialogue when things cool down, clear the air—preferably over something stronger than tea. Communication isn’t their forte, but hey, you’re breaking that chain one argument at a time.
Until next family play night—or not!
Original story
I (17F) have always had a rocky relationship with my mother. Our family has always been on her side so I just assumed I was in the wrong but recently I am no longer sure.
For context I am hard of hearing and wear hearing aids in my day to day life. I am not deaf and I’m able to hear decently without them but I have to focus a lot more and end up missing a lot.
My parents bought tickets for the entire family to see an outside play at a castle. When we arrived at the location I found out my hearing aids did not charge properly so after we sat down I asked my father to give me the train tickets, in case I started to feel unwell during the show.
My mother convinced me to wait for the break in the middle of the show and if I wasn’t feeling well, ask then. I agreed and, like I thought, during the show I could only understand about ¾ of what was being said plus I started to have a headache and feel overwhelmed with the amount of noise and people present.
I waited until the break started and asked my father to give me the tickets, telling my family I wasn’t feeling well. On my way back to the train station my mother called me thanking me for ruining her evening and telling me I would have to return from the con a day earlier.
Me and my mother originally agreed that I would leave early in the morning on the 4th day so I wouldn’t have to travel by train in the late evening of the 3th day.
Now i was angry and tried to call her back but she kept hanging up on me and since by the time they got home i was already asleep and i left early next morning for the con i didn’t speak with my mother before i left. I also rescheduled the train back like she asked.
Now this is the part where i might have been an asshole while at the con my mother called me in a sweet tone asking me why i didn’t call her when i arrived i was really angry so i simply told her i “didn’t want to ruin your day” she was baffled and proceeded to tell me to call her next day and hang up on me.
She then sent me a long text about how i lost the right to leave the con when i wanted to because i left mid way through the show (something we never agreed to) how i didn’t properly clean my room (she herself confirmed my room was clean a day before i left) and how i didn’t properly show her what i was bringing with me (i showed her everything the day before she just left my room pissed off because she kept insisting i bring more shirts despite me telling her i was gonna be in cosplay the entire con so i only needed something to wear on the way back an some pyjamas) now i was livid at this point so i called her and blew up at her yelling about every one of these points not letting her get a word in edgewise she tried to weakly argue back but i didn’t let her speak.
By the end she basically just repeated the same point again at which point I hung up on her. Looking back, I remember hearing her cry on the other end of the line and while she hasn’t acknowledged what happened since, I still feel guilty about it.