Complaints - Broken Unspoken Rules

On the cable TV commentary news where there four persons commenting to the moderator of the
program, and they all yelling at once - don't you just want to turn it OFF. It's like that with listening to the complaints of maturing. Who gets more air time? You may need to decide, and let it run on for hours and then repeat at 3:00, 6:00, and 10:00. Alternatively, you can meander through the concept of making rules. This can be scary. Rules usually need to be agreed to. In addition, if the complaints aren't heard first, you might not make any headway.
Rules come with resistance. Then there the sense of urgency. If the time is not taken to listen, or if you wish to impose a portion of the rule book, they clam up. The parent clams up and never speaks again, until it's too late with one issue or another. Paybacks are the utilities being turned off. You find the telephone disconnected or some form of insurance has lapsed. Aha, you say to yourself, as the drama increases with more and discoveries. Then you
know, your rules are not working.
The parent's rule is this, "The rule that begins with, 'I don't follow your rules.'
Then you say to yourself, "Okay." You have seen how well or how poorly, your well devised "rules of complaining" work and have now chooses to give up your rules. Submitting yourself to their rule. They complain and you listen. So begins your analysis phase:
1.) Internally, your task list begins with a rating system, in order of importance.
2.) Which item spoken has weight bearing towards health and safety, socialization, communication, tasks to do or look-up, and things to add to the go-do list.

I find it helps to have a little, I mean little notebook for jotting down:

Tasks To-Do - Calendar Events Scheduled such as MD visits, On-Line - Order Products
Look-Up - Get more background or information about Go-Do - The Grocery List, Pick-Up
Alterations in Mental Status - Health Problems, or Acting Depressed, Confused - jot it down and date it.

As for the rest, consider it good conversation and preparation for your own communications with your co-workers, spouse, children, sports team you coach.... It's great training, that is - listening to someone complain as a style of communication.
Time for a change? I don't think it's going to be them either.