My family has been infatuated with my mother’s Twitter account since she started it four years ago. It has an unintentionally aggressive tone, sprinkled with dark humor and anecdotes about what it feels like to get older. Her (sometimes bizarre) insights about aging are what make her account unique for me; she’s the only person over 60 I follow on Twitter, aside from the wonderful Martha Stewart.
Mom doesn’t tweet often, but when she does, her perception of the world makes me uncomfortable in a simultaneously banal and profound ways. Her tweets are reminiscent of @sosadtoday, an account she’s definitely never heard of. I enjoy her simplicity and her earnestness, but sometimes I’m unsure whether I’m laughing with or at her. She’s accused me of mocking her, and I reply, “A lot of times people are funny in ways they don’t understand, and that’s okay. That’s where a lot of comedy comes from.”
My favorite of her tweets is:
My least favorite one is probably: In her old age, my mom sincerely does not care about getting followers or attention on the Internet generally, which I respect. She’s just a lady tweeting her feelings. Enjoy!On December 4, 2012, my mom tweeted: I was going to answer her question and say, “A little bit of both,” but I actually think she answers it quite well herself: … and really, isn’t that true for all of us? Keep on keepin' it 100, mom.Photo via Eve Peyser