UBB.Developers Forums General Discussion Chit Chat My mom is pushing me over the edge!

Her friends showed her Amazon.com, Nordstrom.com and Ebay and shes keeps coming over to my house (when its convenient for her--not me) to have me show her how to use the computer and internet because she's thinking about getting a cheap system now.

She is beyond clueless when it comes to technology. She can't even rent a video tape and play it in her VCR (let alone set the clock) or even use her microwave to make popcorn without calling me for help. It took her a year to figure out how to pump her own gas and then they came out with SpeedPass and she was literally banned from one gas station in town. Don't even get me started on her ATM fiasco.

How does she expect to use a computer or even webtv?!! :rolleyes:

If it was any other person I'd get away with saying, "OK, I charge $75 per hour for computer help." But I can't do that to my mom and sleep at night.

How do you set boundaries with a parent thats technically challenged and intent on doing something thats beyond their technical limits? I desperately need some advice.

Anyone else have or had a similar problem?

Sounds like a similar problem I had. I tried, and tried, and tried to get her to be able to use the computer without messing something up major, but...i failed. Keep trying. Better yet Steve, get her to watch Call for Help, TSS and buy her some of those techtv books and videos. If she learns some basic do's and dont's from those it'll make your life easier.

- Greg

Buy her a Mac

You could always set up a system where the browser starts straight away [no explorer/GNOME/KDE, depending on OS ] - that should stop any major damage

My mom does not even dare to touch the computer. As for my dad.... oh my. I will not go into details, but there are others out there with the same problem usr bin.

My mom is better at it than my dad. Both can be a bit frustrating tho Find a class for beginners to computers and windows in your area and send them - that will at least get them used to the mouse and keyboard. I setup shortcuts for my dad to check his bank account info, american express, and a few other sites - he does pretty well with those, tho he still manages to mess up the printer output occasionally. His usual conversation will start something like: 'I don't know what happened, I press a button and something pops up and then it goes blank' - heheh...

Tacks has the right answer.

*gasp* Dave... just... advised someone... to buy... a mac... *gasp*

My mum knows how to operate one but hardly uses this comp unless she needs to use word or something like that. My dad had little knowledge but doesn't use this comp.

:-/

I think Tacks might have the right idea.

*whew* I lucked out... usually my mom asks my brothers.

I've had the same problem about 2 years ago with my mother, but then she got a job that required her to use the computer and she learnt it all by herself... :rolleyes:

Both of my parents are "familiar" with using a computer, but I'm still first-line tech support. Every time I'm at their house, I have to find out what happened to that "icon I always click, but is now gone, and I have no way of finding my excel/word document"

You don't have to get her the 17" widescreen iMac or a titanium powerbook, but an eMac running OS X will make both her (and more importantly your life a little easier)...and just think how much cooler the family minivan will be with an apple sticker on it

I liked the idea of classes so I signed her up for a couple at the local library. This way I'm not being the "bad guy" by telling her she can't do it.

And no, I don't think she'll even be able to use a Mac.

Get DesktopX and lock a nice kiosk-type theme on it so that everything she wants is big and beautiful right in the middle of the screen.

---Jamin

I'm just thinking you can't go wrong with a computer that only has one mouse button.

What button?