What is the line between proud parent and obnoxious braggy parent?

[Anonymous]

If your parents aren’t saying anything, take the hint that it’s too much. You can always tell them if they ask what’s new.

[Anonymous]

Can I give you my mom’s number she would love to hear all about it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My mom said she wouldn’t buy my son a genius shirt because it was “too close to home”. LOL. Kid is great, but not a genius. Grandparents think their grandkids are amazing, and love anecdotes that prove their point.

Haha. My MIL went ahead and bought my daughter a shirt that says genius on it. I make sure it only gets worn at home or to the grandparents' house.

[Anonymous]

If they’re not responding when you tell them this stuff it’s probably too much.

[Anonymous]

How frequently, OP?

[Anonymous]

I share a lot "firsts" with my parents but that's about it. All of my friends have "firsts" of their own which is cute but can be obnoxious.

[Anonymous]

Concur with the multiple PPs who say that there is no such thing as too much when it comes to grandparents. My kids are older and we all share every little excitement with my parents. They love it. And it is a "Safe space" for me to show how proud I am without risk of being seen as a bragger.

Also concur with the first PP who mentioned that you should balance it with showing interest in their lives and asking questions, regardless of it is grandparents, in laws, or random friends.

[Anonymous]

Wouldnt your husband know? If your in laws have kids of their own, I assume younger kids...so maybe back off some.

Aren’t you close enough with your parents that you can ask them? If you’re sending frequent updates, clearly you could ask them if they want more/less frequent updates.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here. I have a 3 year old and a 1 year old and they are achieving all kinds of milestones: first snowman, Christmas lights, the one year old memorizing books and demanding to "read" them, kids dancing to new songs, sometimes singing new songs or making up new ones, all kinds of stuff. 3 year old is trying to write letters now so that's exciting. But I'm probably overwhelming them, especially the in laws with kids of their own

A lot of these things are pretty mundane. You don't need to update your in laws every time they learn a new song.

So, OP, you logged on to ask us about bragging, we told you "stick to the grandparents" and then you told us anyway. I am not your kid's grandparent. The fact that you feel the need to log onto an anonymous message board, ask if it's okay to brag, and then proceed to brag, makes me think that you have no friends. Get some mom friends specifically, ones with kids your same ages. you will realize that your kids are not amazing snowflakes.

[Anonymous]

Nobody cares. Yes, you are annoying. Remember that this is new to you, not new to grandparents and other people.
Your update post sounds annoying to heck, you must be driving people nuts!

[Anonymous]

This post made me finally see why I dislike my SIL so much. We have kids the same ages and she is a TREMENDOUSLY proud parent, to the point where she seems to genuinely believe that a solid block of gold popped out of her vagina, instead of the somewhat normal children who did.

She's intolerable.

Some parents are just like this, and it's nauseating.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This post made me finally see why I dislike my SIL so much. We have kids the same ages and she is a TREMENDOUSLY proud parent, to the point where she seems to genuinely believe that a solid block of gold popped out of her vagina, instead of the somewhat normal children who did.

She's intolerable.

Some parents are just like this, and it's nauseating.

This is a bit harsh.

I agree with PPs. Leave the in-laws out of it.

Update the grandparents, but ALSO inquire about their lives and interests (even if it's just doctor's appointments) any time you share what new song your kid is dancing to. Make it a 1:1 ratio.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here. I have a 3 year old and a 1 year old and they are achieving all kinds of milestones: first snowman, Christmas lights, the one year old memorizing books and demanding to "read" them, kids dancing to new songs, sometimes singing new songs or making up new ones, all kinds of stuff. 3 year old is trying to write letters now so that's exciting. But I'm probably overwhelming them, especially the in laws with kids of their own

I think it's weird that you think of these things as "accomplishments" that someone would brag about, rather than just cute things your kids did. If that's how you think of them, then yes, you will come across as bragging and annoying. "Dancing to new songs" is not a thing to be proud of, it's just a thing. Certainly not newsworthy to anyone but you.

Share this stuff with grandparents, pick a few to share with the in-laws every once in a while, and make sure that you are asking them about their lives, kids, etc.

[Anonymous]

OP, first snowman and Christmas lights aren't accomplishments (although they are wonderful and special moments to experience as a mom with your young children!). The way that you are presenting them that way in your original post makes me think that yes, you may be overdoing your updates, even to your grandparents. When I first read your post, I thought you were talking about real accomplishments, like your son making first violin in the orchestra etc. !! Halve your updates and see if you start to get responses from the grandparents (and like PP said, don't need to loop in aunts/uncles).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My son is doing a lot of things that make me really proud and I like to share them with the family (mainly grandparents, but sometimes my inlaws too). But I'm sharing so often that I'm starting to wonder if they're getting tired of it. Its hard because in the moment it always seems like a big accomplishment, then when nobody comments on it, I think back like maybe that wasn't as big of a moment as I thought. Am I overthinking it, or should I cut back on sharing these experiences?

Stick with the grandparents. NOT the in-laws, especially if they also have kids.

Wouldn't her in-laws also be the grandparents of her children?