To think that taking a picture of her kid was weird?

[Grannypants1]

So I don't have a vendetta against photographs, let me clear that up. But recently I saw one of the mums on my facebook write a post about her DD. Now usually I actually quite like her. She does have a condition in which she gets headaches and we do get daily updates and the occasional selfie of her lying down looking sad or a photo of her on every single hospital visit, but apart from being a little bit of a trufflepig for tragedy she is actually a fairly nice women. But she did something and I can't get over how weird I think it is. DD must be 8 or 9 and on mums birthday picnic she slipped on the quarry and fell 20ft into the rocks. She must have been absolutely terrified! Emergency services come and took DD to the hospital and it was found that there were no injuries apart from a scratch. Great news for everyone. But then she wrote a post on facebook about DD under the heading 'sorry I haven't replied to anyone today' and along with the post is a picture she has taken of her child in the ambulance strapped up, eyes closed and looking close to death?! Part of me wonders at what point in the journey to the hospital (at which point she didn't know if her DD was okay and must have been full of panic) did she stop to take a picture of her little one. surely the only purpose of taking that can be to post online for sympathy? Does anyone else find it a bit odd, that taking a picture occurred to her at all? Or Aibu?

I guess you'll have to decide if you still have enough in common with this person to want to stay friends. Maybe you should just tell your friend what you really think of her, and she'll decide for you both.

Unfollow them, she sounds strange.

I used to work as midwife in my twenties in posh bit of London.
Lots of the male partners took pics of head crowning etc and occasionally asked if I'd look up smile etc. Always said no, glad I did would be horrified if my pic turned up on FB next to someone's vagina😯

Taking a photo can be a way to calm herself.
I can understand a person taking a photo. But why put that photo on Facebook?
Why the need for everybody to see it?

Why would they want your face in the shot, ghana?? . I'll bet the poor mum would have been thrilled to see you grinning away in the record of her PFB entering the world. People are so odd...

I don't have a problem with people taking pictures in situations like this, for me it's the need to post on FB. It's all about creating drama and then getting fake sympathy.

Some people just don't have the same filter that most of us have developed about what should or shouldn't go on social media. It doesn't make them bad people or poor parents, they just make slightly different choices. There's always someone on threads like these that says it sounds like munchausens while obviously having no real grasp of what that really means.

Exactly! Was never sure if I was expected to smile, I do have some nice pics of me holding various (similar looking) babies but still wouldn't want those on FB.
I remember one of my colleagues did a water birth at home and the husband wanted to get in the pool starkers can't recall whether they wanted pics of that as well!!

The worst ones are where they just check into a hospital with no explanation or something like "here we go again :(" and then don't reply to ANY of the comments asking what's going on.

V odd. I also have a friend who has sent me a pm with picture of her with two sick sad face DC s.. that's imo even weirder than sending to the masses. Another posted three pics of her screaming 4yo the other day with a 'hilarious' caption as to why he was upset

Ooh yes.

Check in to A&E at local hospital, add sad face + cryptic status like 'Thoughts & prayers for my poor lil man pls'

Then radio silence for 24 hours before adding that it's some routine procedure for his adenoids.

Makes me

One of my ex-friends actually created a Whatsapp group with most of her friends in (30+ people) and posted a pic of an IV in her arm to get sympathy. She took ecstasy the night before and got dehydrated so went into A&E for fluids. I left the group and she stopped talking to me.

Really awful attention-seeker.

DS was taken to hospital in an ambulance recently for anaphylaxis. I was surprised at how long it took us to get moving. There was plenty of time to take pictures. DS wanted me to take a picture to take to school! It didn't go on Facebook though.

I always take pictures of all his reactions. It's useful for the allergy specialist to see.

Yes, it does seem odd. I think some people like this lady have lost their sense of perspective regarding pix of every aspect of their lives. It's an example of modern life, I'm afraid. It's as though going through an experience of any sort isn't quite enough - there has to be a photo as well.

koaladownunder the amount of times you see 'I can't believe something so awful could happen etc' on facebook and when people ask they either radio silence or post 'I don't want to talk about it hun' so many people trying to catch themselves some juicy sympathy.

Very odd behaviour and it would make me question her mental health.
Really, what normal person would do that.

I was in an ambulance earlier this year - badly broken foot, but that's all. I was on the phone rearranging Childcare, seeing if friend was on duty in A&E that day etc etc. Paramedic asked me if I was OK. I said, I'm on my phone, I'm probably fine.

He really laughed. Apparently they have a code "mobile positive" that means that the patient is on their phone, and therefore not close to death .

I agree that people of have lost sight of what is appropriate - pictures of kids in hospital make me feel queasy.

my brother posted a picture of his son quite ill in a hospital bed on facebook. I don't get it myself.

"I don't think there is anything intrinsically wrong in taking the photo - I'd probably do similar to show dc (much) later and have done when they've had minor operations.

But sharing it is a step too far for me."

Agree with this... Also, the thing is that she clearly posted it because it looked worse than it really was. If she had've posted a photo of, say, her daughter perched on the edge of a hospital bed, about to be discharged, that would be ok. But setting it up to look as scary and dramatic as possible = pathetic.

We've been ambulanced in to hospital a couple of times with PFB and can honestly say i have mever thpught to get my phone oit and take a photo. And this is from the woman who does a daily FB photo of PFB as well as hospital photos etc. The photos of him on yhe ventilator didn't go on until he was off it, or they were angled so it wasn't obvious. The photos of his ooen abdomen and wound are for us only.

I get her taking it in a way - with the hope of showing DC later perhaps but def not sharing it in the way she did

Social media for some means documenting and publicly displaying every single part of their lives. The boundaries of what is normal or not have massively changed and for some there are none.

^
This

I have a FB friend that has documented every breath her child takes on FB from the day he was born. Nothing is sacred- feeding, eating, sleeping, tantrums, medical issues, doctor visits the lot. If she were in the same situation as the OPs friend I've no doubt that she would post a similar photo. It's just intrusive and insensitive. What grown up would like to have photos taken when they are most vunerable and shared on social media? Surely children deserve the same respect and privacy.

I think people are too harsh.

Some people need support, and ask for sympathy on social media. Again, they don't bother family or friend by calling them, they give them the option of getting involved or not.
I much prefer a friend posting on FB than someone calling me at midnight, it's up to me if I help or not.

Some people post their life and rants on an internet forum, and ask for help and opinion from complete strangers, who could be spiteful, dangerous or wonderful. No way of knowing. Others find that really weird.

Yy farawayhills