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Original poster

has anyone succesfully brought their parents into the computer age?

30 replies

hatwoman · 03/08/2007 14:46

I'm increasingly thinking that my single 76 year old mum would get a huge amount out of a computer. she feigns disinterest but I think she has no idea what could be at her finger tips. emails from me for one thing, plus photos of dds, plus being able to see places we've been to (she's very into hearing every detail or days out, holidays etc); plus being able to book holidays, on-line shopping, reserving library books, etc etc.

I;d really like to get her one for Christmas. has anyone done this succesfully? what did you get? lap top or pc? pc has the disadvantage of being big - she would hide it in her spare room and forget to turn it on and worry about it taking up too much space and probably not like it. lap top she could put away but it might not be good for typing and viewing (which kind of defeats the object...)

My main thing though is trying to talk her round. I know it seems presumptious but I am so convinced that if she could get over the initial hurdle she could really enjoy it. so my main q is did you get your parents over this hurdle and was it worth it?

OP posts:
peanutbear · 03/08/2007 14:50

yes I bought my mother a laptop for christmas and am just about to set my Aunt up with one too

Mm always said she wouldnt master it as she has never been near one before loves it now though cant get her off it!!

ps I bought a lapop so she could put itaway and not have to look at it she is very house proud and if it goes wrong its easier to bring round here to have fixed

Original poster
hatwoman · 03/08/2007 14:52

did you suprise her with it? did she look like you'd given her a present for someone else? I think that's how my mum would respond!

OP posts:
Gobbledigook · 03/08/2007 14:55

My parents are well and truly in the age of the computer - but they are a lot younger than your mum.

My Nana loves hers - she is 82. She even went on a course to learn how to use it I think! She plays bridge and stuff on it. Would games like chess, scrabble, bridge interest her?

meandmy · 03/08/2007 14:56

my dad mid forties is more up to date with comps than me my mom on the other hand cant even work her mobile

Cammelia · 03/08/2007 14:59

My mother is 78 and has been using her PC (not very successfully) for about 3 years.

She mainly uses it to respond to emails from the Parish Church Council she's on and to write letters.

She's still "scared" of the internet and won't book anything online or do online banking or anything else involving money.

It took her ages to learn the basics and I sometimes give her a "refresher" lesson

Judd · 03/08/2007 14:59

My mum is 75 and has a PC upstairs and laptop downstairs. She sells anything she can get her hands on on Ebay, emails and MSNs, and taught herself how to listen to The Archers on the Radio 4 listen again facility! Those are her finest moments! Her low point to date has got to be receiving a one day ban from ebay for selling Playboy magazines (heaven knows how she came about them!)
See if there are any local classes along the "computing for the terrified" lines that she could attend.
My mum loves her computer and would not be without it now. I think she's had it for about 4 years.

Tortington · 03/08/2007 15:03

maybe if you told her that she could call the spare room a 'study'?

i have worked with getting groups of older people computer literate and have had much fun and laughs doing it - check if your local council has a course she could go on

i would say bear in mind that you should change the settings so that the script is larger

if she has arthritis or trouble using her hands there are ergonomic things like mouses and keyboards to enable a better useage.

also i would splash out on a colour printer. really spend some money if you can. she will like that i bet

MellowMa · 03/08/2007 15:03

Message withdrawn

AlienEars · 03/08/2007 15:13

Why not see if your local library runs any sessions, or the local Adult Ed centre?

I teach in our library and the sessions are lovely because they are full of worried retired people who are very unsure about computers but think they ought to do something about it! The oldest person I have taught was 91, so your mum is a youngster.

ProfYaffle · 03/08/2007 15:16

My Mum uses a pc at work every day at work but is still not what I would call pc literate (she was recently surprised to learn that I can access the Cbeebies website as well as her ) PIL have had a pc at home for years, mil has never used it, fil uses it slowly and painfully, mainly to write huffy letters to the local paper.

Original poster
hatwoman · 03/08/2007 15:51

well I'm chuckling away at your parents' huffy letters to the local paper and sales of playboy .

If it doesn;t sound a bit egocentric I think the main thing for my mum would be increased and easier contact with her grandchildren (and me, but generally I'm a bit of an add on since dds ). dds would be able to send her emails. and I often see websites that I think she'd like - just random things/places we've been chatting about - sending a link to a website is the modern equivalent of sending someone a cutting from the paper. part of me feels that the whole idea is a guilt-asuaging one - I could and should make more effort to use post and the phone to keep in touch but the speed with which you can send a quick email would definitely increase contact.

I'll look into the idea of courses - that's definitely a good idea. I'll also encourage her to have more of a play on ours when she's here

OP posts:
puppydavies · 03/08/2007 16:39

we didn't pay for it but did convince my just retired mum to buy a laptop. we recommended a mac because a) that's what i use b) they're foolproof, virusproof, tech support is great and c) they look fab and make her feel cool

she loves looking at our pix on flickr, emailing, buying music on itunes, has just discovered amazon and message boards. ebay will be next i'm sure.

she used a pc at work but having the ibook has given her masses more confidence, she loves being a silver surfer. the mac help really is very good and she even managed to set up her own wireless cable connection [proud]

shhhh · 03/08/2007 18:00

My mum aged 58 is very good with the computer and surpises me with what she can do! She is brill with email and regularly emails me etc!
She can be a bit frustrating when she needs to know stuff and asks me etc as it can be fustrating trying to tell her but on the whole she is brill.!

LOL a few years back we bought her a mobile phone with camera . LOL..!!! Now I get pictues galore especially while she on holiday! Bless....

shhhh · 03/08/2007 18:01

oh yeah and she loves ebay!

Cammelia · 03/08/2007 19:29

58 , I must tell the 58 year old women who work in my office building how clever they are being able to work their computers

KitsAndBits · 03/08/2007 19:33

My grandad just bought a laptop

my granny cant even do 'chip and pin' though! lol

Carmenere · 03/08/2007 19:48

I recently dragged my dp's into the 21st century. I bouhgt them a desk top and and a laptop(they paid) and set up wireless broadband in their house. Sooo far so good however I am getting daily calls about how to do this and how to do that but they are getting there, my dad has decided to stop buying newspapers and my mum has been downloading Rod Stewart

AttilaTheMum · 03/08/2007 19:57

My dad got his first computer at the age of 83 - he's now 97 and on his 3rd PC & still emails us regularly, though he still tends to be a bit confused if things don't go as he expects. If he has to cope with anything new I send him written instructions with screen shots, like the ones I do for the 7 year olds at the junior school where I work.

Cammelia · 03/08/2007 19:59

Love it

tribpot · 03/08/2007 20:06

My dad (62) has been an IT consultant for most of his career so we'll discount him in this discussion, obviously he is highly PC literate and can make jokes about Unix, etc.

My step-father, however (67) had nothing to do with computers at work and has really come into his own as a 'silver surfer'. He still doesn't really understand what a PC can do but he can email, surf, book holidays online, even do the instant messenger thing a bit, although he doesn't really like it. (I don't think he understands what it is, to be honest).

My mum LOATHES computers, and refers to any discussion about them as "being in Serbo-Croat" (i.e. she can't understand it) but definitely likes hearing about emails, booking holidays online, etc. etc.

My step-dad has now ventured into the laptop world and is contemplating wireless internet, to my mum's horror (he's explained "it means this box [the router] will have an antenna on it, that's it").

In your case, I think rather than try and surprise your mum, I would say you'd like to get her a computer and what would she most like. You can make out that if she doesn't use it you can always use it at home, so she doesn't feel guilty, but definitely plug the benefits and maybe get her used to the concepts by using the computers at the library, etc?

macmama73 · 03/08/2007 21:11

My parents are 63/64 and have been online for about 5 or 6 years. Dad is less confidant, but took a computer course at the local college, "Computers for the terrified".

I live in Germany and we bought my parents a webcam for Xmas. We set ours up and let them chat to the kids. One time I was in the kitchen doing the dishes when Mum phoned to let me know that DS was up to mischief. Virtual babysitters!

KTeePee · 04/08/2007 07:33

My dad bought a Mac when he retired - I don't know how much use he gets out of it but he now sends daily emails from internet cafes when they are on holidays, telling us in detail about their adventures!

MrsBadger · 04/08/2007 07:52

Not only my parents but also my grandmother, and it has improved communication with her esp as she's ont he other side of the country - she's on Messenger as well as email.

She took the ECDL course at her library but tbh she is pretty smart anyway.

CantSleepWontSleep · 04/08/2007 08:01

I also recommend a mac if you do this, but I'd suggest sending her on a course first and seeing how she gets on. Be prepared for lots of phone calls asking what seem to us like very stupid questions though!

FrannyandZooey · 04/08/2007 08:03

LOL my dad is an ex-computer R+D chappie and built some of the first computers which looked like loads of wardrobes sitting in a room with tape spewing out.

I think he is probably fairly internet savvy. He has his own domain and stuff.