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will this be too much an invasion of privacy?

10 replies

flanderlanda · 22/10/2026 12:28

my mum and dad are mid divorce and i worry about mum. I never quite know how bad her mental health is. She has no friends, doesn't see anyone and is low contact with my siblings. If she got in an accident and ended up in hospital i would be the only person who would know as i'm the only one who checks up on her. Even so we often don't get along great and fall out.

She lives in a sadness and victim mentality and doesn't react well when i don't respond with sympathy to her problems.

Just found out she's taken a train across the border and is in a different country 3 days ago. I had no idea and what if something happened? I wouldn't even know where to look. She was overwhelmed and needed to get away.

I want to sneak onto her phone next time i'm with her and turn on read receipts so i know when she has seen my message and chosen to ignore it. She often doesn't reply to my messages.

I know this is an invasion of privacy as she would never consent to it.

She got bad news today, we all did. Just frustrating news about a law suit. She hasn't picked up the phone or responded to my last 5 messages.

i wish i didn't worry about her all the time but i do. She would never share her location with me

OP posts:
LittlePetitePsychopath · 22/10/2026 12:30

Yes, that's a big invasion of privacy.

Knowing that she's read your messages won't help you, you'll just be even more aware that she's ignoring you. And she's likely to either notice or have someone point it out to her at some point, and turn it back off.

In the kindest of ways, she doesn't seem to want anyone closer than arm's length, even you. I think you have to find a way to make peace with that, and let it be.

Unexpectedlysinglemum · 22/10/2026 12:32

I would explain the exact scenario that you’re worried that you or others might not know if she had a fall or something and what steps can we put in place to mitigate that

flanderlanda · 22/10/2026 12:38

ive had this conversation with her and she's hard to reason with. The conversation will derail to how alone she is.

OP posts:
gamerchick · 22/10/2026 12:44

LittlePetitePsychopath · 22/10/2026 12:30

Yes, that's a big invasion of privacy.

Knowing that she's read your messages won't help you, you'll just be even more aware that she's ignoring you. And she's likely to either notice or have someone point it out to her at some point, and turn it back off.

In the kindest of ways, she doesn't seem to want anyone closer than arm's length, even you. I think you have to find a way to make peace with that, and let it be.

Yes but at least they're alive if they've read them.

sillylittlerabbit · 22/10/2026 12:46

You can’t be your mum’s mum :-)

She’s an adult, she has to live how she chooses to live and you need to try and let go of your sense of responsibility for her.

gamerchick · 22/10/2026 12:48

Tbh these kind of people are incredibly tricky to deal with and it usually takes a crisis for them to let some sort of plan happen.

If you can get into her phone, see if you can get into the emergency contact bit that doesn't need the phone unlocked to read. At least you can be contacted if she comes a cropper when out.

peckishcats · 22/10/2026 12:54

You can lead a horse to water but you can't make it drink.

All you can do is be available, and I'm sure she already knows that.

flanderlanda · 22/10/2026 13:00

she thinks ive taken my dads side in the divorce so is keeping me at a distance. She is constantly in crisis

OP posts:
AgathaX · 22/10/2026 13:08

As others have said, you need to give her the space that she is demanding. She doesn't want you checking up on her constantly, so don't. You need to learn to accept this and step back.

How old is she? There's a world of difference between a 60 year old going off alone, or a 90 year old doing the same.

Picksnumb · 22/10/2026 13:08

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