It’s very hard to watch TV while my mom’s around. First of all, she would demand we watch something on YouTube because none of the TV shows and movies suit her taste. Her taste for those things still lie in the black and white, and it’s the Chinese kind. Second of all, I can’t hear anything while she’s around. The only way I’d know what’s going on is by speed-reading the caption, that is if it’s done right. The moment whatever starts playing was the moment she starts yammering away.

The other night, I picked a history documentary about how Hawaii became the 50th state because I was curious. As the video started playing on the TV, she came down, put on her tennis shoes, and began running in place.

I let her have it there for a few minutes, get it out of her system, whatever, but I found myself straining my focus and ears trying to hear the TV. I turned it louder and louder but every time I did that, she just raised her voice a little more even though she was already a little out of breath from her exercise.

At last, I couldn’t take it anymore. She was criticizing the show before she even watched it, citing the history point of view was skewed, that whatever happened did not happened. I told her, “Are you going to watch the show? I can’t hear a thing with you talking.” Finally, she shut up and I could once again hear.

It wasn’t the first time she did this. Every time we went for a drive, when I wanted to listen to my music, she would start talking. During our road trip in June, I wanted to listen to my podcasts, so I wouldn’t have to catch up on all the episodes I’ve missed when I returned. Nope, I didn’t get to listen to one.

Here’s the thing I discovered about my mom, she likes to talk and does not like to listen. Last week, she had to call the hospital to schedule her annual checkup. As always, she put the phone on speaker, which I’m sure the lady on the other end of the line would find frustrating because of all the background noises.

I had to repeat every question to her in Chinese because her attention was divided into probably many different places. Either that or she’d spent too much time not speaking and reading English and had begun losing her English. I remember during the call, she was eating, so maybe her attention was on the food.

I’m not trying to complain or shame her or anything. All I’m saying is it’s frustrating when I’m trying to concentrate and someone is talking at the same time.

Do you find it annoying and frustrating when someone likes to talk during a TV show or a movie?