Tuesday, July 21, 2009




As if I don’t have enough crazy people around me, I have recently become familiar with a family of freakin’ fruit loops. No, familiar doesn’t quite describe the relationship. I have recently been adopted as a BFF by the matriarch of a family that puts the D in Dysfunctional.

How did this happen you may wonder?

Fuck if I know. One minute this person is the mom of one of my daughter’s school friends and the next minute she is calling me and sending face book messages all day long.

Allow me to introduce you to the family I will refer to as the McMurpheys. (Kudos if you get the association with this chosen name).

Mrs McMurphey informed me within ten minutes of making her acquaintance that she suffers from Fibromyalgia. Now I am not going to get into a debate about whether or not this is a real disease. The AMA recognizes it so I will put aside my skepticism for the time being. I am only able to generalize about my first hand experience with Fibro people I know privately as well as professionally. Keep the hate mail to a minimum.

It seems to me that many people that claim to suffer from Fibromyalgia embrace it and share their suffering with anyone that will listen. I am well aware that Fibro has a psychological element but why these people have the need to use a condition to define themselves is beyond me.

“MY fibro this and MY fibro that”

Fortunately for all of us, many do have more free time on their hands and are generally helpful people. BUT they insist on letting everyone around them know how much harder it is for them to participate in bake sale or to organize the end of year teacher gift and how things may not go perfectly because of their debilitating disease that can rear its ugly head at any time.

Mrs McMurphey is the poster child of all the bad things associated with people that claim to have the ailment. She “can’t” work but manages to collect people.

All the better to listen to her tales of woe I would imagine.

Her house is full of clutter, dishes and smells like it needs a good airing out. Apparently she simply doesn’t have the energy to clean at all. I was a little embarrassed when she stepped out of the room one day (or climbed over the shit as the case may be) and her husband looked at me and said “I am sorry my wife is such a fucking slob”.

Not knowing what Emily Post would do in this particular situation I think I mumbled something about it not being that bad or resembling the aftermath of a nuclear bomb or something like that.

However, to each his own is generally my motto. Even if she is going to continue to be intrusive in my life, sooner or later, I’ll just tell her to fuck off and that will be that…

No, that isn’t the problem. The problem is really a serious one.

And I am serious about being serious. Unlike the times I say things are serious but I really have another smart ass thing to say.

I suspect she doesn’t get quite the rush and sympathy she requires from “HER” fibromyalgia and has labeled both of her kids with their own diseases.

Sally McMurphey supposedly has ADHD and Skippy McMurphy supposedly has Aspergers. I am not a doctor and I don’t claim to be one on TV but I have seen children with these two serious diagnoses and these kids are nothing like that. However, I think she said she shoves four or five pills per day into each child so maybe they are just wasted all the time.

At best, they have no discipline and Mrs McMurphy blames their behavioural problems on their illnesses. They are both loud, obnoxious and have no boundaries. One time Sally was playing with the princess and I was getting ready to take them to a movie. The little shit demanded I "hurry up". I calmly explained to her that if she ever spoke to me like that again she will not be invited back. And guess what? It has been yes ma'am and no ma'am ever since. Obviously she CAN control herself if she choses to do so.

The serious problem is I suspect Munchausen by proxy syndrome.

I know that is a serious accusation and I don’t think she is actually making the children sick. I think she is lying about their behavior to specialists in order to get the diagnoses and attention she desires. Also interesting to note is that they recently moved from another state and she often talks about how she is having problems getting her kids the extra attention they need in school because she can’t seem to get the medical or school records from her previous home state.

Of course my imagination is running wild with the thought that they had to move because people were on to them etc. etc.

What would you do with this suspicion if anything?

13 comments:

The Dish said...

That is a crazy and compelling story. It does sound like she is manufacturing these symptoms for her personal recognition. Scary, Chris. Maybe a chat with the kids is a good place to start?

So Single said...

That is pretty interesting. For some reason that disease (the last one that I'm not going to attempt to spell) has always been extremely interesting to me. Interesting that the supposed diseases she and her childen have are some of the most hard to diagnose - in fact there is no actual testing for ADHD that can physically prove it. Not sure for Asbergers.

I don't know if I would do anything about it though. What CAN you really do? If you've only met the mother a handful of times it wold be pretty hard to make something like that stick. I suppose an anonymous tip would lead to some sort of investigation.

Did the husband really say "Sorry my wife is such a fucking slob?" Cuz that is really funny. Then again just cuz his wife won't clean, what the hell is stopping him?

Be interested to hear updates on this if you find anything else out.

Christine said...

Yup Vinomom. That is how her husband said it..word for word.

I get a "my life is crap and I don't give a shit about anything anymore" vibe from him.

Libby said...

you know me, chris, & far be it from ME to give ANY man the benefit of the doubt, but...just hearing about this whole situation makes me feel bad for everybody with the misfortune to live with her!

Efen said...

I must say, this is one of the most well-written and thought out posts I have ever read....Excellent! :)

janet copenhaver said...

I wish I could say what's really on my mind like you do, it would be so liberating! Love it!

razorbeck said...

Peoples is crazy all over the world, good call on the munchausens by proxy but it sounds to me like she has munchausens period. She piling up the crazy just like the crap in her house

Suddenly being some what anti-social and difficult to get along with makes me happy

razorbeck said...

Oh and as for sugestions all I would do is an annonymous tip to child and family services or whatever they call it in your state.

They are supposedly forced to investigate if they get a complaint and atleast it would assuage your conscience that you tried

Evil Twin's Wife said...

I know a couple of people like that and just keep my distance as much as possible (ex: one is on my FB friends and I just elected to "hide" her updates so I wouldn't be subject to her crazy ramblings). Other than that, I probably wouldn't do much more.

Coffeypot said...

Shoot her between the eyes and put the little bitch in foster care.

Christine said...

I think I need to find that fb hide function. Razor, yeah...being unsocial has its benefits. CP..good idea but who is going to watch my kid while I am doing 25-30 for manslaughter?

TLP said...

I hate it when I need/want to step in and try saving some kid, but know perfectly well I can't.

I think maybe you can mention the problem to the kid's teacher and see if that goes anywhere. Or, if you can find out the name of the doctor of the kid, maybe you could contact him/her. Neither the teacher nor the doctor will be able to give you feedback, but at least you will have alerted people who may be legally obligated to step up and check out the situation.

On the post below: All the ice cream would be no problem for me. Nope. I could eat it. ALL.

J Fab said...

I'd rather not be around people who complain. Damn, I complain enough!!!!!Steer clear from her!