Steam of Consciousness Saturday – Passive/Aggressive

The prompt for this week’s Stream of Consciousness  is Passive/Aggressive

Passive/aggressives are not easy to deal with.   I prefer rude and obnoxious to passive aggressive because I don’t feel guilty when I deal with the former.   I can give them back as much as they give me.  But those gentle, sweet passive/aggressives know just which buttons of mine to push.

One tactic I hate is when I offer the individual a treat – Would you like to go for a milkshake with me – knowing she would really love it – and the reply comes – Only if you really want to go.    Like she’s doing me the favour!!!

You see that’s the problem – they look at you with wide eyed innocence and say things like  “Oh – it’s okay – I don’t mind if you go to the movies without me – I’ll just stay here at home with the baby sitter and be oh so sad.”      Of course you go off as if you didn’t care but all the while you worry about the sad little boy you left at home!  Meanwhile, he’s as happy as can be manipulating the baby sitter to do his will.

They’re clever these passive aggressive because they know how to work on your guilt.  You find yourself feeling that you’re the one in the wrong and you keep trying to keep the hard done by passive aggressive happy.  It’s hard not to be drawn into their mind games.  Calling their bluff or ignoring them just doesn’t seem to help!  You’re always the one that ends up feeling guilty!   Aaaah – it drives me insane.   I’ve tried being passive/aggressive back but I can’t seem to get it right. It always seems to backfire on me.  So what to do?   There is no winning so I choose my battles with the p/a’s in my life.  I ignore and fume inside and move on to something else if I can.   OR – I just give in because I love those darn passive/aggressive people  in my life.