Is my MIL highly intuitive or listening in somehow?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Ohhhhh, didn't you all see that Brady Bunch episode where Peter was listening in and recording conversations? To solve the problem, you need to start fake-planning a surprise party for your MIL, so she'll show up in nice clothes at a non-party and be humiliated.

This!!! “Plan” for a super fancy surprise dinner out, to a place where she’d definitely want to dress up and look really fancy.
Plus also do the scanner and check your daughter’s devices.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’ve always wondered but thought myself insane for thinking my MIL was somehow listening in to DD and my household conversations. I’ve never mentioned it to anyone and instead made it this quite game I played with myself because, it’s insane, right?

But my tween DD came up to me today and out of nowhere said mom, I think grandma is secretly listening to our conversations. I guess she had her own experience! We were in her room and she randomly mentioned something off the wall and obscure to me. When she later visited her grandma, grandma mentioned the random and obscure thing. (Along the lines of ‘I just saw a TikTok of black Nike socks with a green Swoosh. I’d like those.’) She said she had noticed before that her grandma always seems to know things we discuss, almost like she was listening.

I don’t know how to respond but now I’m sort of freaking out. Could she have bugged something? Is there an app she could have installed on her iPad? I sound totally insane but this doesn’t make sense otherwise, does it?

I swear I think my au pair has m bugged it’s insane but she always makes comments about things I’ve recently discussed with others, not her

Isn’t it more likely that she overhears conversations because she lives with you - or that she talks to your kids constantly? What could be so interesting that an au pair would spy on the family they live with and then be dumb enough to slip up and mention things they should not know?

Lots of narcissistic people on this thread that think the world revolves around them and that they are the main character in other people’s lives.

[Anonymous]

After your DD’s experience, I’d be suspicious too. Nothing wrong with experimenting with a few fibs except I wouldn’t use the cancer one.

[Anonymous]

Before you start coming up with stories, start searching your house for nanny cams or other devices. Look on book shelves, under beds or if there is space behind a piece of furniture. Unless your MIL is really into spy stuff it’s likely to be easily found once you look. Maybe Google where to hide a nanny cam and get some ideas. Look at what is connected to your router. Think back to which rooms you were in when something would have been overheard. While I agree many boomers are not tech savvy, they also are falling down rabbit holes on the Internet. I’m sure how to keep tabs on my adult children who don’t share enough with me is out there.

[Anonymous]

Did she ever give you an echo device or leave one? There is a drop in feature.

https://homerook.com/use-alexa-to-spy-on-someone/

[Anonymous]

Why don't you just ask her how she knows that stuff?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Did she ever give you an echo device or leave one? There is a drop in feature.

https://homerook.com/use-alexa-to-spy-on-someone/

It's not a quiet feature and it has a big yellow ring that lights up. It also beeps to announce itself.

[Anonymous]

OP, no advice but thought you'd enjoy this read about super sleuthing and getting to the bottom of insider information!

Wagatha Christie’ trial: Soccer WAG Coleen Rooney wins libel case

https://nypost.com/2022/07/29/verdict-reached-in-soccer-wags-trial-between-coleen-rooney-rebekah-vardy/

[Anonymous]

There's tricks to try to find devices, I would google and try them.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Why don't you just ask her how she knows that stuff?

Yeah Hello.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP, no advice but thought you'd enjoy this read about super sleuthing and getting to the bottom of insider information!

Wagatha Christie’ trial: Soccer WAG Coleen Rooney wins libel case

https://nypost.com/2022/07/29/verdict-reached-in-soccer-wags-trial-between-coleen-rooney-rebekah-vardy/

Amazing story.

OP, you have to plant fake stories.

[Anonymous]

One of my family members discovered her mom was checking in on them through their baby video monitor. She had been given access when she babysat once. I think it was just innocent and she wanted to see her grandchild, but it was definitely crossing boundaries, because you can hear all the audio too.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Does she live with you and connect her phone / tablet to your wife or do you connect to her wife when you visit?

My SIL has anew baby and my other SIL is a fan of a very specific type of boot camp workout / nutrition. When I shared a beach house with them last summer all of my Facebook, Google and YouTube ads changed because we were all sharing the same Wi-Fi.
My husband has also had the experience of getting ads for things I am buying him for his birthday because I’ve been searching it on the internet of our shared WiFi.

Wife = WiFi

It has to do with your web browser search history and privacy settings, not sharing the same WiFi connection.

[Anonymous]

Tell her that you and your daughter are concerned that a stalker is after you and that you’re contacting the police.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Before you start coming up with stories, start searching your house for nanny cams or other devices. Look on book shelves, under beds or if there is space behind a piece of furniture. Unless your MIL is really into spy stuff it’s likely to be easily found once you look. Maybe Google where to hide a nanny cam and get some ideas. Look at what is connected to your router. Think back to which rooms you were in when something would have been overheard. While I agree many boomers are not tech savvy, they also are falling down rabbit holes on the Internet. I’m sure how to keep tabs on my adult children who don’t share enough with me is out there.

Op does your mil use your wifi when she is at your house? Is your wifi password protected? If she has left any type of bug that requires your wifi, that will stop it from transmitting. I've heard of people leaving cell phones at places to eaves drop. My old fashioned phone would allow me to listen in to my house.