Personal cards up at home

[bettybat]

Possibly the most boring title ever!

I can't decide if this is unreasonable or not. Personal cards put up at home...anniversary cards between DH and I, DH's first fathers day card (from me)...all with really personal, sentimental messages written in them.

Fair do's they are up on display on the mantle place, but I felt put out that both PIL picked them up and read them. I don't think I have ever done this to anyone else in my life - read obviously personal cards out in someone's home - so was a bit startled by it. Is it unreasonable to be bit WTF, or am I unreasonable since they are up on display?

I always compare my mums cards from all of us, my brother always sends her the biggest card, bloody show off

If you'd rather these cards remain private then why not just put them up in the bedroom, or somewhere visitors don't tend to go?

I think I am more generally relieved to come through this AIBU unscathed than I am/was miffed about the card reading

Never in a million years would I read what is obviously a "serious" type card that belongs to someone else - in my mother's home, my father's, my PIL's, my friends, no one. I just wouldn't - I'd probably have a sneaky look at the cover and think "Awww nice cards to each other, how sweet" but that's about it.

I don't even think I'd read jokey cards, but I can definitely see the reasonable act of that.

I'm so glad some people feel the same though! I think I was more surprised/shocked than I was annoyed because it would never, ever occur to me someone would do that, even with them displayed in my home. But now I know - some people do FWIW I don't think you should have to secret them away somewhere - besides, we have no dresser/chest of drawers/mantlepiece in our bedroom so that's not an option. My home is my home first and if I want to put our personal/mushy cards up there, I will...just have learnt my lesson to maybe take them down when visitors come

I don't understand why u would have them on display if people aren't allowed to look ? A couple I knew always gave each other the biggest most ostentatious valentines cards and my dh and I used to have a little giggle later about the absolute sick making drivel they wrote in them ! I always thought it was on purpose so the rest of us would see that they obviously loved each other more than we did. It came as no surprise when they were divorced after less than 2 years.
If u don't want people to read them keep them in your bedroom?

ontesterhooks because it genuinely hand-on-heart never ever occurred to me that someone would pick up personalised, anniversary card quite obviously addressed to each other and read what would quickly become apparent to be personal messages. It never even crossed my mind that people did that.

Sorry that sounded bad I am in no way implying your message was not sincere etc. I just meant this particular couple were known to do everything for ' show' iyswm so in this case they definitely wanted people to read the messages !

Haha not at all ontesterhooks

I'm more amazed at my own lack of forward thinking that they might be read, TBH!

YABU. We all do this in our family. If we don't want someone to read a card then we don't put it on display.

I would at family's house but not at friends' houses. If I have a personal card I put it in the bedroom. Anything in the living room is fair game.

Putting personal cards on display is a bit like leaving your diaries in the bookcase

I actually think people should be able to leave a diary on a bookshelf and people should respect that if it's personal it shouldn't be read without express consent,
having an item in reach or in view does not imply consent to read it

i now have visions of usualsuspect knocking on strangers' doors and demanding to read their cards

Wrong or right doesn't come into it: people will look at cards on public display, and they will look through your bathroom cabinet to see what drugs you're using. Put things away if you don't want them seen.