DEAR MISS MANNERS: I am a middle school-age boy. My mother is a great person, except for one thing: She is always convinced she is right.
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If something annoys her, she will explode and go into a rant about how she is the victim and is being horribly mistreated. Anything different or contradictory from her views is simply sour grapes.
I cannot think of a polite way to address this, since she will more than likely launch into a tirade, and also since I'm her son. What would be a polite, respectful thing to say to my mother?
GENTLE READER: "I am so sorry that that happened to you. How should we plot our revenge?"
If she is indeed a great person, she will find the humor in this and realize she has, perhaps, overstated her mistreatment. If not, Miss Manners suggests that you stick to only the first sentence.
The goal is to stay on her good side by showing your loyalty -- without implicating yourself in any retaliatory crimes.