To think people blathering on on FB about wishing their 1 year old a happy birthday represents all that's wrong with the world?!

[SweetElizaRose]

I know, I know, hide it and don't use FB.

There seems to have been a tidal wave of people on my FB wall wishing their children who are much too young to have FB, or in fact be able to read, a happy birthday. Said parent then goes on for several hundred words about how awesome their child is and how awesome being a parent is and oh god it's all so amazing. Some people must spend their lives being constantly amazed by very very little. It's just showboating isn't it? No wonder these kids grow up so entitled and thinking they're god's gift.
I'm going to delete them.
Along with people who keep sharing memories of their children from a couple of years ago and writing 'can't believe how small they were.' Well yes, that's what happens, they get bigger.
And people who post those 'share if you have an amazing son / daughter who is your world'
Just for once I'd like to read one that says 'share if your kids are pretty average.'

Potentially I am very grumpy from having no sleep...

My pet hates on Facebook:

1. Posts urging me to share something if I care - more often than not I have never heard of what I am supposed to care about;
2. People telling me the have signed online petitions;
3. Endless pictures of dogs dressed up as eg an entire nativity play;
4. People posting photos of their children who I have never met;
5. Hysterical posts usually starting along the lines of "Thank you Tesco/Amazon etc for ruing my child's birthday which ate always unbelievably trivial;

And lastly, my favourite: " I feel like the worst mother in the world because I have left PE kit (or something equally trivial). This us always followed by lots of friends telling them they are in fact the world's best mother

I don't know how you have the energy to be so bothered about something so minor OP. I don't have any kids but I do put those posts for my niece who only just turned 2 and obviously doesn't have FB. I love her and am very proud of her and enjoy sharing her milestones with my family and friends.

OP doesn't have the energy, fanniboz.

She does have PND though.

Great post Merchant.

What I really struggle to understand is what are you supposed to use Facebook for? It strikes me that anything you post is someone else's pet peeve.

I hated many posts announcing babies when I was struggling, but it was my issue not theirs. Fb would have no posts if we all stopped posting all the things that annoyed someone.

Thanks, Mrs Doyle! In response to others (sorry - I forget who) about having too many 'random' fb friends whom you don't actually care v much about... yeah, I probably do. I have somewhere near 200 (and don't think that's either unusual or anything to be proud of) - but it's hard to outright refuse friend requests whwn it's people you see all the time - eg other school mums, colleagues etc. I actually know loads of people, as I'm sure we all do - but am only close to a small number.

I just am not very nice and have no friends so that's a bonus in keeping the numbers down.

Cathf - I have one person who does 1 (sister of a friend), but i can't think of anyone else who does the others.

There is one person who has had a personal tragedy and it has become her 'thing' so i am probably quite indulgent about that (in that i just haven't deleted her - i don't join in or anything).

But other than that and Israeli fundamentalist cousin everyone is quite well behaved. 8 NCT friends, a few close ex colleagues and good school friends and aunts and cousins and that's it.

musketeer I take your point - it does seem that every topic might annoy someone somewhere. But it doesn't seem to work like that (imo) - when my bitter, cynical friends and I slag off all our mutual fb acquaintances, it seems we're all annoyed by roughly the same sort of bullshit. And before all the arbitrary sanctimonious shock begins... everyone does this.

If you think that's what's wrong with the world then you lead a very sheltered life

I think there are some things that are universally annoying. But also people read way too much into things. Stating you feel blessed about having a lovely day, rather than reading that as someone boasting, bragging, or covering up and insecurity, couldn't we just take on face value and thing "how nice, she's had a great day today"? I know I post that I'm blessed to have my family, and I post that because I truly am. I nearly didn't. I'm blessed to have changed my life recently, because I had a major accident and had to readjust my priorities. Sometimes people are show offs, but those people show off in any medium. It's not fair to tarnish all people who post about being happy as showing off. Maybe we should all just let it all wash over us more, not read it too deeply and scroll past the things that don't interest us? I have no interest in my friends jogging routes, I ignore them and assume they are sharing for the benefit of others who also jog and for motivation.

I'm totally and utterly with you op. I'm not on Facebook for that (among many other) reason(s). Upon lurking, it would appear that the veneer most people present is so far removed from reality that it's laughable. Plus, if you love your kid so much and they are the best thing in your amazing world, why don't you get the fuck off Facebook and enjoy it all instead of simply recording it like some weirdo casual observer?

And don't even get me started on crazy trout pout selfies as profile pics...

Alreet grouch, calm down!

" a card is as unreal as a text or a message on Facebook"

Really?!!!!!!!!!! Good grief.

Yanbu. It annoys me too.

I just don't get why some people even bother with Facebook, the way they whine on about it on here.
If you hate seeing what others are up to so much, why not either delete/hide them or better still de-activate yourself from FB to stop you from unnecessarily winding yourself up?!
I for one love seeing what others are up to, must be my nosey streak.
As for myself, I update with stuff I'm doing, like maybe a few pictures from a day out we're on, mark birthdays (it's a family occasion, so it'd be weird to ignore it altogether!)
I'll even put up pictures of my lunch if I'm anywhere nice. Oh yes.
I like to document what I'm doing as it's nice to look back on - if people don't like it, I don't care, I do it for me.
You know where the hide button is.

I am far too nosey not to have Facebook.When I say stuff annoys me, it's mostly a sort of delighted annoyance - a kind of morbid fascination, if you will, at the kind of nonsense that people lay bare on fb. It is endlessly entertaining - and, I believe, fairly harmless; there are plenty of people who lap it up and jump in with all the 'you look fabulous' comments at the latest troutface selfie, so my quietly appalled reaction isn't hurting anyone.. .

There was a particularly bad spate of ' thank you so much for a brilliant day, you are the best OH ever xxxxxxxx'. There is something wrong when you have to have to publicly thank your other half for something when they are sitting right next to you on the sofa

I know I said I always use FB and put up loads of stuff, but I do find this habit particularly weird!
I've got a couple of people like that on mine.
Erm, they're sitting next to you on the sofa, couldn't you just tell them in person?
I don't even say happy birthday to DH on FB, as it seems really weird to when I say it and celebrate it in person right next to him!
I always think the best relationships are played out in RL and not out in public for the world to see on FB.

You'd hate me, I've just been making a collage of photos to put on FB to celebrate my daughter's birthday and she's going to be 23

I'm my defence she's going to be in Rome so I want her to know that I'm thinking of her on her birthday and I want to include photos of where she's been and family occasions over the year. It's not 'fake' she's had a good year, I'm proud of her and her achievements.

I assume people who aren't interested just scroll on by, which is what I do when I'm not interested in a post.

My fb page is all about my kids, my little family is my only achievement in life really and I'm very proud of them so probably over share

But like other people have said that's pretty much what fb is for, celebrating the good bits of your life, maybe having a moan occasionally to make yourself feel better and of course being nosy!

I personally hate food pictures, running pictures/ comments about running and pictures of people's pets but that is because they aren't my interests, I'm sure my page is incredibly dull to people who aren't interested in kids, or other people's kids at least. Just scroll on past or unfollow them (so they have no clue you aren't interested and you still look nice!) lol

Actually I hate lol too, no idea why I just used that!!

SweetEliza, I hope this thread hasn't made you feel worse. I don't know your story, but please believe me when I say it gets better because it really does. Don't worry about what other people do or don't do. It is you and your children who are the most important. Believe in yourself you can be the mum you want to be. Those days will come. Meantime take it all in bite sized pieces, and massively lower your expectations.
And absolutely YANBU. I don't have Facebook. I don't really understand the need to share in that way, but fine if that's what floats your boat. I would definitely come off it. Hope you are ok

Great post RickOShay - well said