To not want the world and his wife knowing I MN?

[SammyK]

I received some lovely surprises from the MN xmas appeal, and was extremely grateful and moved, as was DP.

I hav told my mum and sister that an online friend from a website sent me some gifts, but DP has now told several people what I received (very generous, thoughtful things), and naming MN.

These are my reasons for not wanting people who know me in RL knowing I mn:

I work as a CM and don't want to be identified through my cm'ing posts to other childcare workers (say for example if I say I have had a bad day).

I don't want certain inlaw family memebers to try and take advantage of MN, or join for the wrong reasons.

I don't want certain nosy inlaw family memebers trying to identify my talk name from my posts and keep track of what I am posting like FAQ has been through.

DP seems quite naiive about this and doesn't get why am irritated by it! (I had to explain to him the other day how careful you have to be about what you post after a new oster used her RL name a a talk name).

I don't think they are that interested in me, I'm not that full of myself.

As I said in my OP, my main concerns are an inlaw relative (a particular one who is not a very nice character), hearing DP's 'wow listen to what someone on MN kindly sent to sammyk', and deciding to join just to take advantage of other mn'ers kindness. Or from another angle, trying to identify me from my posts, and using my posts to gossip about me. I have found this site particularly helpful when I have needed to 'talk' through my relationship issues, or come to terms with DS's autism, especially when certain family members were telling me ds was 'fine'.

Thinking about it from this POV has left me feeling quite vulnerable. I don't have many RL people I can confide in, so find the support and anonymity of MN invlauable. Hope that makes sense!