Oh, sorry. It's HER stock phrase, it comes out every time we sit down? To where you're just waiting for that bomb to drop? I don't think she's aware of it, it's like a verbal tic. That's what it sounds like for your parents. An uncomfortable emotion comes up, maybe they feel helpless? and glad it's not them? And they say this thing in tandem.

Oh. Just like. My previous pdoc asked why I was always trying to make him laugh. Why didn't I ask him what he thought the answer was??? Stupid, stupid, stupid. But I think it's the same kind of verbal tic - I would see "danger" coming, an angry mother. Because it's truly odd to me, and i've been noticing this week to T, how this stuff - my little "jokes" - seem to just spring up out of nowhere. And it's worse, ie more jokes appear, when times are bad for me. When things are good, no stress? No jokes!

Sorry, didn't mean to hijack, but I guess I explained to myself why gwammy HAS to tell us about how she cooked the broccoli - it alleviates her anxiety about the dinner, or us, somehow.

So your parents are probably not going to stop saying their little catch phrase (and how cute of your dad to chime in, really - do they harmonize on other stuff like that? what a cute couple!) but I guess the main thing is, are they there for you? And draw boundaries as needed. Maybe you can't tell them about this because they really can't deal with it, where yeah, some other grown-up parents would be able to, but sorry, not ours. My mother - TERRIBLE advice. truly truly horrible. awful. I can't stress it enough. She's a GREAT cook - but if she's upset - you guessed it - do NOT eat the green veg. (dammit! there's the joke! is there such a thing as obsessive comedy disorder?)