Typos in Email

[jeepgirl30]

I'm going to vent. I love my mom of course but she is driving me nuts with her emails. She uses abbreviations that she just creates in her mind, does not use paragraphs and has tons of typos in her emails to me.

I've shown her several times how to use spell check, requested she use breaks and even have sent a couple back saying I have no idea what she is talking about.

In the past I've laughed it off or called her for verification on things. But she is getting more and more careless. Growing up she was a real stickler on grammar and spelling so it isn't like she doesn't know any better. She laughs it off and says "i was in a hurry, deal with it"

The main reason this is irritating me is because my father is at Loma Linda in California going through proton therapy for prostate cancer. She will send me updates and I can't read them. A typo here and there are really no big deal to me but an email that is one big sentence with all sorts of made up abbreviations is another. For example she sent me an email asking if my daughter would like "je for c"? I had no idea that meant jeans for Christmas. She used to rant and rave about people writting Xmas because they took "Christ" out yet its fine for her to write c? She said email is different.

I asked her for a recipe so I could make him something my dad has been missing but I can't read the recipe to even use it!

A lot of her updates are mass emails too so I know other people are either not reading them, are just as frustrated or assume she is a complete idiot. I just sent her an article about how textese is becoming very confusing to read. I explained I was not trying to be mean or hurt her feelings but was trying to help her so she came across the way she would want to portray herself.

Here is the article http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/28156881/wid/11915829?GT1=40000

How can I get her to understand? Or am I being insensitive?

 

[Kath2003]

I'd send her back one written in your own code, or just stop replying to them. If she's not prepared to communicate via email you will both have to use another form of communication.

BTW I would also just tell her she's being ridiculous.

 

[happygirl]

 

[cheermom1]

she probabbly has a lot on her mind as well with her being with your dad and going through that stress and then the holidays as well - not trying to make an excuse for her just wanted to remind you of what she is going through as well - I know you want info on how your dad is doing understandable but maybe give her a little slack too - i know it is frustrating but try to do the best you can

 

[MaryAnnDVC]

I'd send her back an email quoting what you can't understand and say "I have no idea what this means. Please don't abbreviate" If you do it enough, maybe she'll be more careful.

Hope your dad is doing well.

Back when my mom had email (she's 86 and in assisted living now), I'd send her long emails with all sorts of family news, and she'd reply just "OK". I'd re-read what I sent her to find out what "OK" meant, and usually somewhere in my email I'd mention coming to visit, so I guess that was "OK".

 

[lovetoscrap]

I like the idea of sending your emails to her in your own made up code, with errors etc... Maybe after a few of those she will get what you are talking about!


My mother doesn't have her email set up to add the original to her reply. I will sometimes send her several emails with different things/questions etc... and she will send me back a "Yes". I have to go back and try to figure out what she is responding to. Especially since sometimes it is several days later so I don't remember what I even sent.

 

[Mouse House Mama]

Not to be a jerk and all but is this really a big deal? Your Dad is sick. Your Mom is trying to pull it all together. If you don't understand what she wrote then give her a call. I'm sorry but I really think it is a silly thing to harp on. My Mom writes things funny all the time. We laugh about it and if we don't understand what she wrote we just ask. I am so grateful to have my parents that something like that would not annoy me enough to make an issue of it. I hope your Dad gets better soon.

 

[jeepgirl30]

Not to be a jerk and all but is this really a big deal? Your Dad is sick. Your Mom is trying to pull it all together. If you don't understand what she wrote then give her a call. I'm sorry but I really think it is a silly thing to harp on. My Mom writes things funny all the time. We laugh about it and if we don't understand what she wrote we just ask. I am so grateful to have my parents that something like that would not annoy me enough to make an issue of it. I hope your Dad gets better soon.

Oh I don't harp at her, I was just venting here! I did send her the link today to help her understand when she mass blasts people may not understand what she is saying.

What I failed to mention was she gets mad at me when I say I don't understand what she meant or if I don't respond she will get really irritated at me. She will be angry that her mass blast didn't get responses.

I used to call my parents 2 times a day. Once in the morning on my way to work and on my way home. It was not that I wanted to, she demanded it! If I missed she'd call and be so upset. However now with the time difference I only call on the way home.

She sends me several emails during the day and will be mad I don't immediately respond. Honestly though, how can I respond to "does H want je for c?" She says "oh come on you should just know" and means it!

I do love my parents. There was a few days we didn't know whether dad would be able to start treatments or not and her "update" emails were really frustrating. I did not comment on them at the time because I didn't want to add to their stress. But she'd send medical abbreviations and I had no clue if it was good or bad news. She'd ask me to relate the "news" to other family but I was still clueless!

 

[SandrA9810]

I think phone calls should be enough. It's the most direct way of knowing his condition. And if she wants to let other relatives/friends know his condition, that's fine for a mass email. But being thier child, you should know or be able to know about everything. And that can sometimes be hard to understand even in a well written email.

I say cut the emails out. If an emergancy happens, there's the phone.

My aunt is a massive forwarder. I hate it as some thing I've seen several dozen times before she even got on the net 4 years ago. Every so often I'll open them if I'm bored. But more often than not, they sit in a folder unread. Kari's mom occassionally sends fwds as well that sit in the folder. My aunt knows if she wants to talk to me, to call me.

I found it extremly hard to even use abbrivations in my typing. I use a few here and there. And usually on words you would abb. in writing, or words I can't remember how to spell.