[stellarwbz]

So I am at my mom's house right now using her computer logged in under her name on aol, which means I have access to her email. The nosey person I am, I see a Confirmation Shipped email from Sears. So I open it, and I just ruined my Christmas present surprise. My mom got me a GPS for my car. I would have been totally surprised on xmas day if I wasn't so freaking nosey. I always try and find out what my present, and then I regret finding out because it ruins all the fun. I don't plan on telling my mom that I found out, because I know she is really looking forward to me opening that specific gift. I've got to fake the biggest suprised look ever on xmas now. I just feel so bad now. Does anybody else have this problem?

[PhotoChick]

Honestly if i were your Mom I'd be even angrier about the violation of privacy. Do you really think it's ok to read other people's email?

>

[mxgirl737]

haha... it's okay, if your mom is anything like my mom...then she doesn't care about you seeing her email. ...She'd probably do the same if it was your email!

That sucks that you ruined the surprise though!

[foodieUS]

I have some what the same problem as I had insisted for a game card from ultimategamecard.com as a gift, since I love online games and the card is offering 200+ online games!!!

So surprise left..

Merry Christmas

[RN BSN 2009]

Ouch! Are you totally SURE the GPS is for you? You might really be surprised!!

I have a bad habit of breaking surprises too.

My mom got grandpa an electric pencil sharpener. This man has everything. When his kicked the bucket, mom quickly got him one and wrapped it. Needless to say last night when grandpa said he was going to buy a new one, I said "No! I see a new one in your near future." I think he got the hint.

I'm so bad!!

[djay]

My kids are awful about finding out what they got for Christmas! They had a pact when they were growing up to always tell each other if they found out what the other was getting... Evey year they found my hiding place for the presents...even if the presents were already wrapped...they would carefully unwrap and re-wrap them. On christmas eve...they always waited up and smuck down to see what was left in their stocking...then carefully put everything back the way they found it.
They were good at it too....I never knew until they had a little to much Christmas cheer and started bragging about it last year!
No worries...It is a treasured childhood memory for them. They remember the joy of the hunt and getting one over on mom and dad even more than the presents. Christmas is about those special memories afterall!

[Wifey]

I used to REALLY want to know what my gifts were, but this year it really isn't a surprise. DH and I bought each other a Wii at the end of September and hooked it up mid-November. He handed me some receipts to hang onto the other day (I'm in charge of the receipts at Xmas time b/c I never lose them and he does! LOL) and I noticed one from EB Games...DH bought me 2 Wii games for Xmas. Oh well...at least I'll be surprised about what I get from the rest of the family. We all play Secret Santa and I have NO CLUE who has me...so that's all good!

[2fat2bphat]

Honestly if i were your Mom I'd be even angrier about the violation of privacy. Do you really think it's ok to read other people's email?

I am sooo with Photo Chick on this one!

[JamieJo]

I'm so bad like this too...not so much about gifts (although if the opportunity was there, I probably would look. ) But I am the most nosey person you will ever meet... I even look through the history on our computer to see what web pages my husband visits!!!! AND I do that to his phone too.

[2fat2bphat]

As someone who doesnt do this and would be so disappointed if I ever found out if someone did this to me, can you answer this question of curiosity: Why do you do this? And would you really be happy if anyone did this to you?

[Shannon in ATL]

Originally Posted by 2fat2bphat

I am sooo with Photo Chick on this one!

I have to say I'm with Photo Chick on this one, too... Surprise spoilage aside...

I've noticed a lot of discussions, here and on other boards, where people reference opening email sent to their spouses, their parents, their roomates, or tracking internet history to see where their family members were browsing, looking up the numbers called or texted on their cell phones, that kind of thing. I always wonder if those same people would open their spouses US mail - I've asked that question before and the answer is typically no. I'm told that 'real mail' is different. Why is that? An invasion of privacy is an invasion of privacy whether it is paper mail, email or a text message.

I don't try with any seriousness to find out what people have bought me for gifts. I sometimes joke with my mom and say 'so what did you get me for Christmas' because she enjoys the banter that ensues. She often asks me the same thing. Neither of us ever actual tell, and we don't make any effort to look through stuff to find out.

[TJFitnessDiva]

Originally Posted by djay

My kids are awful about finding out what they got for Christmas! They had a pact when they were growing up to always tell each other if they found out what the other was getting... Evey year they found my hiding place for the presents...even if the presents were already wrapped...they would carefully unwrap and re-wrap them. On christmas eve...they always waited up and smuck down to see what was left in their stocking...then carefully put everything back the way they found it.
They were good at it too....I never knew until they had a little to much Christmas cheer and started bragging about it last year!
No worries...It is a treasured childhood memory for them. They remember the joy of the hunt and getting one over on mom and dad even more than the presents. Christmas is about those special memories afterall!

This is what my siblings and I used to do too I'm the oldest of 7 so we'd tag team the parents so the others could find out what we were getting for Christmas lol We would carefully unwrap presents and put them back exactly the way they were & we found my mom's hiding places.

I do get tempted to find out what my husband has bought me but I've been putting my former skills to good use by thinking up awesome hiding places for my children's gifts!

[stellarwbz]

Originally Posted by PhotoChick

Honestly if i were your Mom I'd be even angrier about the violation of privacy. Do you really think it's ok to read other people's email?

>

My mom isn't the kind of person that cares if her kid reads them. I'm the one that set it all up for her, and often times she has me reply to emails she gets because she isn't internet savvy. How she even ordered stuff online is a mystery to me.

After reading a lot of y'alls replies, yeah it was wrong of me to snoop through emails, but I don't feel like I was violating her privacy. We are really close, it's not like I was hacking into someone's email.

"mxgirl737 haha... it's okay, if your mom is anything like my mom...then she doesn't care about you seeing her email. ...She'd probably do the same if it was your email!"

My mom has gone through my digital camera photos, opens my mail, everything. I really don't care, I guess I feel like a teenager still, like she should be allowed to.

"RN BSN 2009 Ouch! Are you totally SURE the GPS is for you? You might really be surprised!!"

Yeah I'm sure. My mom was telling me a couple weeks ago that she got me what I asked for last year. I just couldn't remember until I saw the confirmation.

"2fat2bphat Why do you do this? And would you really be happy if anyone did this to you?"

Because I am impatient and nosey. Too habits that are not good when mixed. And no I would not be happy if somebody did this to me.

After reading everyone's responses, I realize that it was wrong of me, and I'm sure my mom would be hurt if she new I found out what I was getting. I feel like a horrible person now.

edit* sorry I don't know how to quote more than one.

[CandyKisses0204]

I look at it this way. Really no one is going to be dissapointed besides you. Your mom might be upset that you found out, but maybe finding out this year will prompt you to not snoop next year.

I know that i snooped ONE time and only one time cause i was so upset xmas morning when my big gift wasnt a surprise anymore. I love surprises and never tell anyone what they are giving and i dont snoop cause all it does is ruin your xmas not theirs.