11/21/2006

Why Medicaid and Ex-Husbands Can't Get No Respect

My corporate clinical supervisor-ette (not the head honcho of clinical supervision, sounds half my age) called today to say I had to discharge Cookie from treatment. "She's not capable of benefiting from psychotherapy."

Really?

I suppose working on decreasing her agitation, increasing her ability to remember even simple things, lessening her grief, her anxiety, her depression and her pain about losing every memory and feeling she's ever had in her 93 year old life is not beneficial.

Apparently not to Medicaid.

See, they want to know Cookie's progressing with her therapy. They want her to get better. Just holding her ground, or losing her mind slower don't count for shit.

And if Medicaid ain't happy, ain't nobody at Corporate gonna pay me either. I can see her all I want, I just won't get paid for it. Well, of course that's exactly what I'm going to do...Which may be why things like bills pile up around my place...but I can live with myself, so I suppose it's an even-up swap.

In fact, living with yourself has been a big topic of discussion around here lately.

The Eldest Unnamed One has decided there are two types of people in the world, In-ies and Out-ies. The Innies live their life from the inside out- they don't look for their self-esteem and self-worth to come from material things or money. The Outies are all about status and prestige. They think money will fill them up, but they have to get that from their insides.

"I figure I can't make anybody else happy until I make myself happy. If I'm doing something I feel passionate about, I'm happy." He draws a round splotch and a squiggly line on the paper at the kitchen table where we sit. "This is me, happy. This is energy. When I am happy, I am energized." He draws a second splotch. "This over here is matter. Energy attracts matter. So if I'm energized and happy, the rest will take care of itself."

Pretty freakin' wise for an 18 year old, eh?

His father begs to differ. He says the Eldest Unnamed One is irresponsible because he was 40 mins. late for curfew one time and 10 mins. late the next. "He doesn't want to spend time with us...We wanted him to bring his friends over for his birthday. When he did, they didn't want to sit in the hot tub with us and talk. That really hurt Plumpette's feelings." (Plumpette is Wife # 3) All they wanted to do was play video games! He showed us absolutely no respect."

Hmm. Doing what you want on your birthday is a sign of disrespect, eh?

Go figure. 18 year old boys preferring video games to a romp in the hot tub with a couple of 'rents. What's wrong with that boy?

I suppose Medicaid and my Ex have a lot in common. They're both Outies and they're both shooting themselves in the foot.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

This post was good. I believe in Innies and Outies too! And I think the world is divided up between them. It doesn't take long for them to become obvious if you watch and listen. Your eldest unnamed one sounds wise for his age. ~margo

Anonymous said...

Sounds like you did a good job raising you eldest son. Ex's just never get it, do they? They don't REALLY know the kids. They just want to play house sometimes. :)

Nancy said...

Ah, Tracy...you are so totally right!!! Playing house...exactly!