Happy Mother’s Day! But I’m Blocking You

Just a few weeks ago, my cousin asked, “Do you have your mother on Facebook?” well, in 2017 who doesn’t? One can only imagine what communication was like back then, between mothers and their kids. You would send your son or daughter off to get an education in a foreign land and possibly hear from them through letters every few months.

Luckily for me, my mother doesn’t quite fall into the category of a social media mum. Her communication functions strictly through the phone but then there is WhatsApp! I know I’m not the only one getting about ten broadcast messages a day, and the worst part? They believe pretty much everything they send to you!

But oddly enough I learn quite a few things from my mother’s broadcast messages. Did you know that… Leftover onions can be poisonous? Or one can of coke is about ten cubes of sugar? Or putting your handbag on your bed can make you sick? (It carries way too much germs).

In honour of Mother’s Day, Guardian Life talked to a few people (who have decided to remain anonymous) on their thoughts about having their mothers on social media.

“Pure invasion of privacy… I love my mum but she wouldn’t be proud of the man or boy she raised if she saw my social media”

We can all agree that our lives at home and on social media are sometimes polar opposites. I don’t think anyone minds having their mother on Facebook or WhatsApp but when it comes to Snapchat or Instagram, it gets a bit tricky. Especially with Snapchat because it pretty much follows you everywhere… your life at work, home, school, the club and in most case those intense moments of vanity. These days no one cares much about Facebook because you can filter down the information to a minimal level, so it doesn’t freak your mum out!

“Way too many questions will be asked”

Too many questions

If your mother is anything like mine, then she’ll ask you about any random friend you happen to post a picture with. If it’s of the opposite sex, it becomes even more awkward when you say, “He’s just a friend!” Then she says, “Oh what’s his name? Where is he? Do I know his parents? And eventually,

“Hmmm he’s really good looking are you sure…?” and then you end up having to explain way more than you had ever imagined.

“My messages and social media would be full of screenshots if I had my mum on social media… I’d block her like I do with most of my aunties”

The thing about mothers is that they’ll do anything to feel closer to their kids, especially when they start getting older and they really just want to keep up with your life any way they possibly can. I would imagine a few mothers keeping an album of screenshots from their favourite Instagram and Snapchat moments. At the same time, they’ll probably ask you to take down a few pictures stating reasons like, “your cleavage is showing way too much” or “your language seems rather foul in that post.”

After all said and done, the truth still remains that we can’t help but love our overprotective, privacy-invasive mothers! Because at the end of the day, when we are going through the worst time in our lives or we get into trouble, the first person who has got your back is your Ma. She might shout or be most disappointed, but she’ll always be the ultimate safety blanket.