Suspected PD kept all their child's bills

[Andeza]

So I searched for this, tried multiple keywords and phrasing, and google came up empty. Returned completely unrelated subjects to me.

Recently, because we are preparing for a move, I went through all our old paperwork, including folders from DH's parents that were labeled medical records. The folder was over an inch thick, packed, and I thought I was about to wade through summaries and medical opinions concerning an accident DH had as a teenager. Nope! The entire folder was all the BILLS. It was packed to the gills with them, and then, in the back like an afterthought, was an old immunization record. Later we popped open a box of keepsakes from his childhood, and the bill for the zoo admission was in there...

Have others witnessed this habit in their PD's? I've been trying to make some sense of it and coming up short. I mean, I'm not handing my kid his paid off medical bills when he turns 18.

[Poison Ivy]

This seems weird to me. My first guess is that the parents wanted to say to the child, "This is how much you cost us."

[Prototypian]

My uOCPDstbxW keeps every single scrap of paper including all bills, receipts, prospectus documents and even pages that say "this page intentionally left blank".l for every one of us.  I honestly don't think it's for any reason other than the fear of not having it in case it is asked for.   I don't think she intends to show the kids that they cost anything.   She literally wants then to have the list of everything as a gift.  Her mother was the same; when we had our first kid she joyfully brought us literally every single medical record, hospital document and detailed scrap of paper that my wife had pertaining to her own birth.   I think that OCPD's in particular see this type of attention to details and retention of records as a virtue.   Just my experience though.

[Andeza]

It is odd, and we've discussed it further to try to narrow down what on earth it's all about. While the individual is of that age group where they may have kept everything "just in case" it seems hard to believe they would have held on for more than one or two years to see if there were any issues or unsettled debts.

Sadly the "this is how much you cost," makes a certain amount of sense. However if that were the actual case, I imagine they would have wanted to be sure he went through the paperwork even if that meant sitting down and going over it with him. Which, they never did. It may be of merit to mention that the particular medical event in question is one that they also have severe denial about. It caused long-term damage, issues that still affect DH to this day over a decade later, and yet the individual is happy to pin those issues on anything BUT the event in question. I believe it's because they don't want to accept that DH suffers long-term from something that occurred while he was still a minor, and therefore do not accept any fault.

OCPD is not off the table. It fits with a great deal of the behavior, except, there's a heavy dose of waifing as well. As the person ages, the waifing becomes more and more obvious to the point now of just being downright annoying. We're both quite done with it. Hmm, now that I think about it, there is absolutely cause in the individual's life for at the very least OCD tendencies. Thank you friends. It does shed some light. I hope this may help others as well with a similar question. If anyone has more to add, feel free.

[Bill]

This sounds similar to what my parents have always done. Every Christmas, birthday, or any event in which I received a gift from my parents, there was always a piece of paper included that documented every gift that was given and the cost, including taxes. 

I was told that the documentation was for 'my records.' As a seven year old, I didn't even know what 'records' meant. Rest assured, that piece of documentation was included with every gift I have ever received. It was a tally.

[Boat Babe]

Wow Bill. Presenting a seven year old with the receipt for their present. That is so, so disordered.

Something new every day on this forum!

Sending hugs (for free!)

[1footouttadefog]

I keep bills be aose I am too lazy to journal the I formation they contain.

For me they hold a record of dates, times places doctors, procedures, and visits I would not have otherwise.

I could create a medical time-line by flipping through.

They also serve in the first year or so after a visit or proceedire as a record of paying and a way to identify duplicate charges and such.  I usually write the date and check number I paid with on them as well so I can find proof I paid on bank website etc.

The zoo bill is a bit strange.