Does your MIL do this?

My (lovely) Mum does the same and it really bothers me. Up until this post I thought I was being irrational.
I don’t mind birthday cards etc but she reads Valentines cards from DH and I. So I take them down because I don’t want to say anything to her.

My sister does this. She’s horrendously nosey. On one occasion, she walked past two bathrooms to use the toilet in my en-suite and on her return, started asking questions about the contents of my bathroom cupboard. She got fairly short shrift and has never been left unattended in my home since. She keeps dropping hints about getting a spare key to mine “for emergencies” - not a fucking chance!!

Ugh gives me the ick I hate it. I display them because it's my home and I display it for me to look at. I don't care if she reads one from the baby to his dad that I've wrote but she doesn't need to read love story's from me and DH to eachother makes me cringe lool. I think it's nosey, I wouldn't ever look through cards in someone's house. The only time I have looked at someone's cards is my sisters from our younger brother when we were kids as he used to write silly things in them and it made us giggle. I certainly don't want to read a card to her from her husband though😂😵‍💫

it's bad enough if you look at your SON's card, but you can deal with him. Or he can deal with you.

Don't look at your DIL's cards...

Things that are "strictly confidential" people will hide, because they are not stupid.

It doesn't mean anyone has the right to read anything private, it's the principle.

So if I leave my laptop you are going to read through my emails too? If I leave my phone, you'll check my photos?

If hosts have to hide things when you are visiting, believe it, they're not looking forward to see you 😂

Key words: LOOK at. Not pick up and read the contents of.

I display cards because they’re cards, it’s what they’re for. It’s no one’s business what’s written inside.

I was taught not to read people’s mail, diaries, notebooks or cards unless invited to. The front of the card may be on display, but that’s not an invitation for other people to look inside and read something that’s not addressed to them. Do these nosy people pick up other people’s letters when they are visiting and read those too? Come on, this really is just basic manners.

I'd argue anyone that can't tell the difference between looking at a picture on a card and picking it up to read the personal message is the one that's a "tad stupid". Or possibly just being deliberately obtuse.

like ... your home? Oh wait...

No. Mine doesn't. And I'd be pretty annoyed if anyone came into my home and did that. If it's not addressed to them, they have no business reading any correspondence sent to someone living in my home.

She reads YOUR cards in YOUR house?

How rude is this! I can't believe people behave like that and think it's fine.
So you are supposed to hide everything because visitors can't show the most basic manners?

Who cares if they are on display, or if you have your bank statement on your desk, or a letter on the coffee table? It's unbelievably nosey and rude to go through them.
Yes people can look at the cards, but not open them and read! What's next? Checking your wardrobe and medicine cabinet?

I would be fuming if any visitor was doing that, and would not welcome them back. Actually no, I am childish, so I would get the most offensive MIL jokes in the all the cards until she gets the message

I don't read my kids mail... and we live in the same house.

My daughters do this too, if I said anything I'm sure they would imply it was a way of looking after me in my dotage!

Thankfully I’m not ‘stupid’ as you kindly put it and I don’t display cards anymore for this very reason. The only people who send me cards are my DH, immediate family and a friend who lives far away and writes a lovely letter inside. They’re not for reading by visitors.

And sorry, just no! Anything in my personal home is private! Do not pick a card up and read it, in the same way you wouldn’t turn a letter pinned to the fridge to read the back. Cards are closed. Effort needs to be made by the reader to pick them up, open them and read without asking. Not ok.

This is how I feel! I cannot believe anyone would read cards at someone else’s house - that is honestly outrageous to me like reading someone’s mail or diary. Especially if it’s something like a valentines card.

Fine to look at them, not fine to pick them up or nose inside to read the messages. I do childcare in my DCs homes and wouldn't dream of reading their personal correspondence.

I know some people do this and I do find it a little odd. I wouldn't go all Jeremy kyle/eastenders "yer nosy cah"! about it though, so I'm not voting

I don't do it. I just think it's normal to take some personal responsibility for keeping my private things private. And - given the vast number of people who do seem to look at cards/correspondence that's left lying around - you'd clearly have to be a tad stupid not to.

Yeah the outside. For it to look nice in the home as a celebration so they are just just hidden away straight into a draw. That would be a waste.

I just had a terrible flashback to my first serious BF when I was 17. Sent a card to him and also wrote a special message to his dick from my…well, you get it. Anyway, he put it on the fucking mantelpiece.

My adult DSD used to do this, & I was unhappy but said nothing to her.
One VD, DH sent me a card with a very graphic description of his forthcoming intentions.
She never did it again !

I did this at my friends house the other day- am 44 and not a mil😅😅😅 They’re out to be seen surely?!

edited to add it was her daughter’s cards and when she saw she hand me a running commentary on who the kids/ adult were who’d given them so she obviously didn’t mind

Nearly every comment here is telling you that it’s rude and they don’t like it. They are personal messages. If you saw a letter addressed to me you wouldn’t read it. It’s the same principle.

Please take it as a sign to stop doing it.

Reading your correspondence too.

Very very rude.

Commenting on a lovely picture on a card is one thing, making a point of opening it up to read the personal message inside is quite another. I can't imagine how anyone could not grasp the difference.

Maybe everyone with a snoopy relative needs to leave something written that would offended the senses on “display”, maybe then they would stop being so nosey.