Top 10+ stories of technologically incompetent parents: 'My mother [uses] FB status as a search engine'

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Ben Weiss • Writer and Editor
May 10, 2024 4:00 PM EDT

Trying to teach a technologically incompetent parent how to do something with their phone and/or computer can feel like a Sisyphean task. 

Personally speaking, I would rather endure a day at the Department of Motor Vehicles. For me, the most upsetting part about watching my technologically incompetent family members try to do anything remotely tech-heavy is the way they behave when they can't get something to work. Everyone starts shouting at one another, or someone just starts pressing random buttons or tapping the screen excessively… as if that is going to do anything productive. 

Here, we have parents who use their Facebook statuses as if it's a search engine tool. We've got a Mom who doesn't understand that a monitor does not store any data as well as one who thought buying a USB flash drive and a screen would amount to having a fully functional computer. I guess the only thing we can say to these ladies is Happy early Mother's Day and good luck. 

Keep scrolling below for these stories. For more, check out this post about poorly designed products that are impossible to clean.

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  • 01
    "Parents can be so funny with technology. I also had to explain to my mom the concept of throwing away a computer file"
    via Ales Nesetril
  • 02
    I once gave my mom a cd, and she told me all the songs sounded the same. I then found that her cd player was on track repeat. What are your parents' technology fails? Parents can be so funny with technology. I also had to explain to my mom the concept of throwing away a computer file. What are some of your parents' tech fails,
    via u/pseudosara
  • 03
    amirahfusion . When I went away to college in 2000, I tried to teach my mom how to use email and aol instant messenger to keep in touch. I would often get emails that just said "hi" and IMs that had a whole email typed out...she always seemed to confused by the whole thing.
    via u/pseudosara
  • 04
    Fast forward to my second semester. My dorm had particularly food, so we would all get excited on days they had food we liked. Before dinner one evening, I set my away message to be something like "Yay grilled cheese and tomato soup night!". After dinner I went to work on homework with some friends. When we all got back to my dorm room to hang out I noticed that I had a bajillion IMs from my mom. The convo went something like this:
    via u/pseudosara
  • 05
    Mom: Hey how are you? auto response: Yay grilled cheese and tomato soup night! Mom: That's nice honey. what are you up to this weekend? Mom: You there? Mom: Where'd you go? auto response: Yay grilled cheese and tomato soup night!
    via u/pseudosara
  • 06
    Mom: I know that, why are you telling me that? Mom: What's going on?? Mom: Why aren't you answering me?! auto response: Yay grilled cheese and tomato soup night! Mom: What the going on up there?? is Mom: Are you on ?? Mom: ANSWER ME!! auto response: Yay grilled cheese and tomato soup night!
    via u/pseudosara
  • 07
    Mom: That's IT. I'm driving up there right now. omg, it was so funny! I called her cell...she was crying and screaming at me and on her way up to campus (about 1.5 hrs away). At this point I am absolutely cracking up, as are my friends in the background. my mom keeps saying, "I knew it! you're all !! I can hear you and your friends laughing!" I finally get ahold of my stepdad, who luckily thought this was hilarious, and he convinced her that everything was fine and to come home.
    via u/pseudosara
  • 08
    I printed out the convo and had it up on my door for the rest of the year. Oh man, it was hilarious how much she flipped out over that away message, heh. *edit: formatting 2.8k Share
    via u/pseudosara
  • 09
    playblu My mom can get on the internet for hours at a time, but when she's done, she backs out of it - clicks to go back one page, over and over, until she's back at her Yahoo mail start page. I've told her she doesn't have to do that but she insists on it. 2.0k Share
    via u/pseudosara
  • 10
    theythink. At 55 years of age I found my mother using Google Chrome and streaming her favorite TV shows. Exact words when I asked why didn't she use IE "You can't explore anything on that." Success. EDIT: 1. Thanks for the responses. 2. After half an hour of explaining Reddit to her, she said and I quote: "Can you not give them all up votes?" Haha.
    via u/pseudosara
  • 11
    irice22. One time my mom got me Mario Sunshine for my birthday. I told her that it wouldn't work on our N64. The conversation went like this: Me: This isn't compatible with any of our game systems. We need a GameCube. Mom: I told the guy at the store that we have a Nintendo 64 and that we have a Mac, he said it would play.
    via u/pseudosara
  • 12
    Me: He was wrong. This tiny disc won't even fit in the Nintendo 64. Mom: Our Mac has a disc reader. Me: Mom, this is too small and the Nintendo 64 takes cartridges. Mom: Okay, show me it won't play in the Nintendo 64.
    via u/pseudosara
  • 13
    She followed me down to the family room so I could show her that the disc would not work in our Nintendo 64. I opened up the bottom half of the entertainment unit and there was a brand new GameCube. Well played, Mom. Well played. 1.8k Share
    via u/pseudosara
  • 14
    Godisman. My grandmother got a laptop and later called me, wondering when the color in Word and MS Paint would run out. :) 1.6k Share
    via u/pseudosara
  • 15
    magicmuds I helped my mom purchase a new computer monitor. I suggested she give her old one to Goodwill. She said "oh, I don't know, what if some identity thief gets ahold of it". I tried to explain that her monitor doesn't store any data. I think she is still dubious, the old monitor still sits in her computer room.
    via u/pseudosara
  • 16
    Hraesvelg7 I tried to get my grandmother to play Wii Sports to get her doing at least a little activity. "Ok, now move your hands to play, grandma." "Move my what? What button do I press?" "No button, just move your hands around." "What button is my hands?" "You don't need to press any button, just move your hands like your playing tennis." "I don't understand your weewee!"
    via u/pseudosara
  • 17
    mkay0 My mother- FB status as a search engine.
    via u/pseudosara
  • 18
    2inchesOFury My mom bought a monitor and a usb flash drive, and expected it to be a fully functionally computer.
    via u/pseudosara
  • 19
    ipromack. My dad thinks every virus we get on our computer is from "You kids playing your games." 1.1k Share
    via u/pseudosara
  • 20
    betterwithmusic. My Mother searches "Google" on bing to get to Googles home page so she can search for something 1.0k Share
    via u/pseudosara
  • 21
    sharilynj "Mom, here's the Google street view of the apartment I'll be staying in." "Oh, that's lovely! And my goodness it sure is sunny there today!"
    via u/pseudosara
  • 22
    sirreally. My Dad picked up his own TV remote control off his coffee table and asked me if it was my new phone.
    via u/pseudosara
  • 23
    sneezen ⚫ not really a fail, but my mother always double- clicks links. that freaks me out. you only need to click one time! my dad recently signed on facebook and is adding people who have the same name as him.
    via u/pseudosara

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mother technology askreddit mothers day parenting dad reddit thread Reddit mom funny Parenting Fail Father
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