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Family whatsapp group
We’ve had a family Whatsapp group for a while now. It mainly consists of messages from me saying “where are you?” or alternatively “WHERE are you?’
I will give you a small flavour:
Daughter one: I’m staying on at school.
Me: OK
Partner [at work]: Why? [folllowed by] How you are making your way back home?
Me: She meant till 3.30. She finished at 1 [partner is usually oblivious to any of the minor details of the day’s events and just requires instructions on any implications for him]
Partner: Great. I had a very good ending of the week. [followed by] Salt and pepper chicken pieces [my partner is heavily into Rick Stein and Masterchef]
Me to daughter three: You forgot the mermaid tail. Do you need it?
Daughter three: Yes. Can you bring it in a bag. Where are you gonna be?
Me: Parallel road in five minutes. [followed by] I’m here with the mermaid’s tail.
Radio silence from daughter three.
Daughter two: Are you here?
Me: Do you need the tail?
Daughter two: Mum needs the address to the house asap for the tail [multiple emojis]
Partner: multiple emojis
Daughter one: Don’t talk to me. Someone smashed my phone. It’s not that deep. But still…
Several hours later…
Me to daughter one: Where are you? I am losing the will to stay awake.
In the last few weeks someone added my mum and I added my brother who is in Argentina. They are now active contributors. My brother is a late addition, but has been commenting on the texts, mainly the various requests for pick-ups and vegan products he never knew existed. There is the odd comment on Argentinian politics. My mum’s texts are more proactive eg: I thought you’d want to know that Harry Styles was v v good in Dunkirk though he was under water most of the time and covered in oil. But what a debut!
This was followed by a long review of the film and my partner commenting that wasn’t it enough that my mum and I talk a lot on the phone and in person without having to “saturate” the Whatsapp group…
*Mum on the run is editor of Workingmums.co.uk.
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