To hate that my mum writes a paragraph about me, gives personal details and sends to hundreds of people that she hasn't seen in years

[jdoe8]

She's told them all about a medical issue I had earlier in the year (that I haven't told many of my friends about) and she's said the company and job that I started this year and the name of the place I've moved to.

I'm really very private. AIBU to not like this at all? She never sends the text for me to approve.

I've only found out this year what she sent as I had a family member send me a card and comment on it.

I've repeatedly asked her to not be so personal but she never listens, one year she gave away a client name that I was on a secret project with and it could of lost me my job. She goes on about "it's a private letter to her friends" and imply s it's not my business. But I dont see it as a private letter as its something she prints the same to hundreds of people, many of whom the only contact each year is a card.

[chickenowner]

Explain to her that you will have to stop telling her any details about your life if she keeps ignoring your wishes.

This would annoy and upset me too.

[VeryBitchyRestingFace]

YANBU about the condition.

Unless you work for MI6, I think you're being a bit U about the job.

As for this:

I've repeatedly asked her to not be so personal but she never listens, one year she gave away a client name that I was on a secret project with and it could of lost me my job

How did she know the client name if it was a secret project?

[BarbarianMum]

Well maybe don't tell her stuff you don't want her to pass on. Wtf are you telling her confidential work information for anyway? Sounds like neither of you had any filters.

[FireSquirrel]

Good lord, of course you aren't being unreasonable, that's a complete violation of your privacy and unbelievably disrespectful, I would be mortified and very very annoyed. Given that you have already repeatedly asked her to stop and she doesn't appear to be listening, you need to seriously consider reducing contact, or at the very least not confide in her about anything remotely sensitive or confidential.

[treaclesoda]

If you lost your job due to a breach of security, that breach would have started with you, not your mum

I'm on the fence about the medical stuff. I mostly think she shouldn't be putting it in a letter but context is everything. So I'd be furious at 'X had a difficult time in hospital recovering from surgery for an anal fistula' because that's private. Whereas 'X had a stroke despite being young and outwardly healthy. We are so delighted that she has made a full recovery' wouldn't be anywhere near the same level of breach of privacy.

[treaclesoda]

I'd be amazed if my parents could tell anyone the name of the company I work for, much less the name of a client

[jdoe8]

It wasn't MI5 stuff. But it was confidential bid work that it is fine to tell close family members, but no one else. I did make this clear to her, but she didn't listen and also said some inaccurate things about it. Luckily nothing came of it, but it could of cost me a lot.

[CockacidalManiac]

YANBU
Round robin Xmas letters are the work of the devil.

[QueenLizIII]

Every year I get a photo card from the parents of the kids i once babysat. They are now 28, 26 and 24.

its nothing short of pathetic and speaks voulmes about the parents.

one of the letters told me all about her son developing epilepsy and having seizures in uni lectures. she had no right telling anyone that.

i hear you on the health front.

but you deserve to lose your job if you told your mum a client name on a secret project. sounds like you boundary issues.

[QueenLizIII]

*have boundary issues

[PinkSwimGoggles]

yanbu
this is why I don't tell my mother much.
her my parent's round robin makes janet and roy proud.

[BarbarianMum]

Sorry but "confidential bid work that it's fine to tell your mum"? Really?

[VeryBitchyRestingFace]

But it was confidential bid work that it is fine to tell close family members, but no one else.

I'm struggling with the notion that it's ok to tell close family about confidential work-related issues.

But just assuming that it is okay as a rule, it's not okay in your particular case because your mother has a mouth like the Mersey tunnel. And you know this.

Therefore you should treat all work related information, and anything to do with your personal circumstances, as "confidential". Unless you're happy with your mother broadcasting it.

[GlobalTechIndustries]

Some times the best way to keep a secret is to use dummy situations to cover your secrets.

[TheCountessofFitzdotterel]

You shouldn't have told her the client stuff anyway - round Robins are the least of the problem these days when it comes to information dissemination. Even if she doesn't use the Internet it's not impossible she would tell a friend who would post it on a forum.

[SapphireStrange]

YANBU. Just stop telling her things. If she complains, remind her of why you've had to do this.

And to pps – it's up to the OP if/what she wants to tell people about her job.

And those judging away about her telling her DM about the work project, the guidelines were that it was 'fine to tell close family members'. OK, the OP possibly misjudged how much of a blabbermouth her mum is, but there's nothing in principle wrong with telling a mother those details under those guidelines.

[TheClacksAreDown]

Confidential bid work shouldn't be shared with family.

But generally yanbu. My mother used to try to do this so o ended up telling her little.

[AmberEars]

YANBU. I would be really annoyed about this.

[SapphireStrange]

PS For anyone not able to get their heads round the idea of it being OK to mention confidential work things to close family, I recently left a job having agreed a settlement. I am/was allowed to talk about the details to 'immediate family', but not others. If that helps anyone grasp this concept better.

[MikeUniformMike]

I don't tell my DM much because it gets slightly modified and then broadcast making me look a twat. She lies about what I do for a living and where I live, "because it sounds better" or "well I don't know do I". She means well but we don't speak much any more.

[MargaretCavendish]

OP, you do know that if she stops including any information or starts only being very vague about you in the letters then all the recipients will assume that you are now The Family Disgrace and in prison or similar? On the plus side, that's exactly the sort of gold that round robin readers are hoping for!

[DJBaggySmalls]

YANBU, stop telling her stiff and when she complains tell her why.
Act like you signed an NDA and what you know is covered by the Data Protection Act.

[DJBaggySmalls]

Stiff? Stuff.

[Jiggl]

You've two choices - tell her nothing, or tell her wildly fabricated stories that will make her look daft.

My DM told her entire family within days when I finally decided to trust her with my infertility history. Whatever about me, it was happening to DP too and she had no right to tell his business to people he doesn't know.

I won't make that mistake again and she knows it. I don't tell her shit now. And you know, it hasn't affected our relationship. I just natter on about inconsequential things instead.