‘So happy little Johnny got his 1st choice school’

[Mangetoutrodney]

All over social media today with photos ‘So happy that little Johnny got his first choice primary school’

Aibu to think it’s not a bloody competition & it just rubs it in the faces of all the parents that didn’t get any of their choices etc. When did it become a ‘thing’?

Both my kids got their choices of school when they went to primary and start secondary in sept but I never would have dreamt about putting it on social media particularly because I know devastated people that had to go through the stress of appeals. Absolutely bonkers.

Someone on my Facebook feed has reacted like her 4 year old has got into Oxford

I posted on fb yesterday when we got dds allocation, partly out of relief partly out of sheer joy that wed got our prefered school.

There was no guarantee that wed get in there are 8/9 primary schools with in 2 miles of our home. The majority of dds friends attend our preferred school already so it was a quick way to let friends know our allocation

I think that it boils down to a lack of etiquette/manners on how to behave on social media because it is still relatively new. If a group of mums had gone out for a coffee they probably wouldn't be going on about it in person and would probably drop the topic like a hot stone if they heard someone else in the group didn't get their first choice.

There are ways of posting this sort of news that aren't so in your face though - eg a photo of DS holding a letter and saying something along the lines of how they are growing up - off to X primary school in September - that are less braggy (is that a word?) and therefore are less likely to hurt if someone reading didn't get what they wanted.

I think people need to apply more of a filter to what they post on SM tbh - I know some really lovely quite self effacing parents who seem to go in the opposite direction when writing about their dc on facebook.

I agree with @CalleighDoodle anything you are pleased about could upset someone else who doesn't have it. People need to take some personal responsibility for avoiding fb when they are feeling upset about something. I didn't get our first 5 choices (went to 2nd allocations) and to say I was devastated was an understatement. Seeing other people got in hurt but I'd have found out anyway, I didn't blame them for posting about it. If fb isn't the place to announce news or say you are happy or upset about something then what else is it for? I literally cant think what people go on it for otherwise. It will upset some people and bore others but that's fb!

@Foreverexhausted I'm really sorry, I know the feeling well. People told me it would work out for the best but I didn't believe them in the slightest. However for us it really did, hes 4 years into it now and thriving and the school we wanted isn't doing so well. Hope it all works out xx

I agree Frazzledmum, I avoided FB on mother's day because I knew it would upset me.

I've posted updates like this but from the point of view of "thank fuck I didn't bugger the application up again" People that know me understand

I posted when secondary school places came out, I was genuinely very relieved and happy that he got the 1st choice of school so I posted to share the news. Plenty of people were happy for him and those who find it boring are free to unfriend or mute! I also normally do the pics for first day of school, and I like seeing my friends posting theirs of their kids. When you are not local and don’t see each other as often it’s just nice to be updated, I see no reason for people to take any of it as a snub

When did it become a ‘thing’?

When social media provided a cheap platform for narcissists!

why is it narcissism? proud/pleased that got the school place they wanted? what is narcissistic about that

such bad feeling

This is why lm moving away from Facebook. The self congratulatory and boasting posts get right on my nerves. E.g. the friend who announced how amazing her breast feeding was

i think it says something about You that you cannot be pleased for someone

I don't think it's insensitive, I think it's just boring shite that no one else cares about. But then again I'm a miserable cow who thinks that about most things people put on social media...

TBH, if you can't feel happy for someone then why do you have that person on Facebook? The people I have on Facebook are the people I care about and who I want to hear about. If you get so wound up about what people post perhaps ask yourself why you have them as a friend on Facebook.