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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

<sigh> My Mother and Facebook

110 replies

BlackAmericanoNoSugar · 21/12/2021 13:14

I'm being all calm and explanatory in real life, but honestly my DM just doesn't get the peripheral nature of Facebook. She seems to feel that someone posting things that she isn't interested in is the equivalent of someone constantly engaging her in conversation about a subject that she's not interested in and not shutting up. So she complains about other people's behaviour, like my cousin posts too many photos apparently. Hmm

I deliberately didn't add her as a FB friend. She sent me a friend request, which I accepted to keep the peace. The she complained that she was seeing too many posts that were nothing to do with her. I'm pretty active on various special interest FB groups so she was seeing things that I had put up about quilting or crochet or Strictly. So I restricted what she could see.

Then today one managed to slip through my restrictions and she phoned me in a huff to ask why I hadn't told her that I'd had a three-day stomach bug. Hmm I hadn't and told her so, so she asked why I was lying on FB. Hmm Eventually, after a lot of searching, it turned out that one of my FB friends had posted about not being sure a quilt would be finished in time because he'd had a stomach bug and I had commented underneath. So I explained that, but apparently it was definitely me that said it and not someone else and she's going to take a photo of it to prove it to me.

So I've double checked the exclusions and made them stronger. I'm thinking about unfriending her and claiming it was a FB glitch if she notices.

No advice needed (and I'm pretty sure that IANBU), I just feel better for having off-loaded that.

OP posts:
StringersBell · 22/12/2021 11:22

My lovely MIL is like this, bit of a menace with FB. She doesn’t mean to be, and would never post anything nasty etc but she just doesn’t get the nuances of how it works. Most recent example being that on my birthday, she put up a ‘Happy Birthday lovely StringersBell’ post. Innocent enough you’d think, but she’d tagged some of my friends but also loads of her family members in it - some of whom I’m not even friends with myself or have ever actually met in real life! When asked why, she just said she wanted everyone to know and presumably, wish me a happy birthday. Bless her. The best not though? She didn’t even tag me! 😂

MrsTimRiggins · 22/12/2021 11:49

My husband has an older relative (in her 70s) who is obsessed with Facebook. She comments on and likes EVERYTHING. Even if, for example, I tag my husband in a funny meme or whatever, she’ll like it or comment on it too… it’s hilarious and bizarre in equal measures. She’s also one for answering every ‘how old were you when…/picky eater challenge…’ etc post she ever sees. Also, ‘never heard of it/them’ on others.
She’s started to move onto insta as well now.. that had been my safe place 😭

LosingAtHumanBopIt · 22/12/2021 11:55

@Shedmistress

Mine also posts 'Happy Birthday' on her own wall and then when people say 'whos that for' she replies 'my friend on facebook'. Smile
🤣🤣🤣
LosingAtHumanBopIt · 22/12/2021 11:57

My mother likes and comments on absolutely everything to the point it's stalkeresque. When I've mentioned it she gets annoyed saying 'well they wouldn't put it up if they didn't want me to'. Like people are directly sending things to her sigh

ImaginaryFriends · 22/12/2021 14:32

@Shedmistress

Mine also posts 'Happy Birthday' on her own wall and then when people say 'whos that for' she replies 'my friend on facebook'. Smile
That's so funny really made me laugh Grin
CheddarTheDog · 22/12/2021 14:42

I’ve got multiple older family members that don’t understand that the Facebook feed they see is nowhere near the Facebook feed I see. They can’t understand why I haven’t seen things their friends have shared or news and get frustrated because they think I’m being rude or nasty by asking them to explain what they’re talking about. No amount of ‘your Facebook feed is personalised to you’ gets through.

Shedmistress · 22/12/2021 18:41

That's so funny really made me laugh

We just moved to France and she sent me a Christmas card.

Addressed to my first name, name of town, postcode, France.

I mean, even a surname might have helped.

It's been round the town and made it to the bakery who worked it out and brought it round.

I just shake my head.

Booklover3 · 22/12/2021 22:28

@Shedmistress

That's so funny really made me laugh

We just moved to France and she sent me a Christmas card.

Addressed to my first name, name of town, postcode, France.

I mean, even a surname might have helped.

It's been round the town and made it to the bakery who worked it out and brought it round.

I just shake my head.

🤣
Crinkle77 · 22/12/2021 22:45

My mum doesn't get it either. She doesn't understand the difference between private messaging and writing on the wall. She thinks people's status updates are private messages to her. She says oh so and so messaged me. I'm like they didn't message you, they posted on their wall for everyone to see. Then comments if I swear or something. I'm like defriend me then! Aarrgghh.

jb7445 · 22/12/2021 22:59

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