I don't mean to be FW:

Okay, so you've all been waiting for another Erin grievance... and here it is: What is up with Forwards? I click on my hotmail account and my inbox is full... I am so excited to see who has written me, when, alas, I discover my inbox is flooded with forwards. There are all types of forwards, but there are usually a few main categories:

First off there's the sappy "story about the troops" forward that your friend who's family member is in the armed forces sends. It's sweet, but often long and frankly I just don't have the time or the tissue to finish it. I know it makes me out to be some heartless witch who isn't supportive... but I maintain that I don't have to read a forward to support our troops.

Next up are the "Funny" forwards that often have titles like "FW: Read this- it's hilarious!" Now, I don't mind a good joke now and then.... I will even read a funny story when the mood strikes. But I find that most of the time a title of an email says "this is hilarious" it's usually doomed to not be funny. So, what do you do at this point? Clearly the person who sent it thought it was funny- do you email them back and say the dreaded "LOL" or "ha ha ha". No.. I choose to click the delete button.

Then there's the "God forwards". Now these get me into trouble. Because it is clearly not the insight of a close friend or family member but rather an exerpt from a book or a prophetic word from some random person I've never heard of, I tend to really quickly delete said forwards. The problem is (and this ALWAYS happens to me) the person who sent the all-important-forward will ask me if I read it. Now, I am not lying... I do actually open the email and scan very quickly for about 10 seconds so technically I am reading it. I, ofcourse like a dope, tell them, "yes I read it." BOOM- big mistake. Then they begin talking about this forward I have just said I have read and how meaningful it was to them. Then come the questions about it, "Did you like that part about Moses and the burning bush?" Remember... I didn't actually read it, but fortunately I do have some knowledge of the story of Moses and the burning bush so I make up some lame answer like, "Yes... boy God really spoke to Moses didn't he?" Yeah... that sounded okay. 

The point is, if you want to talk spiritually people, I am right here... give me a call on the... I don't know... telephone or something. Don't send me a forward about some great spiritual thing in your life and expect me to have memorized it word for word.

But lately, I have been getting the most entertaining forwards, since becoming a mother. With titles like: "FW: what deadly foods are your children eating?" who wouldn't read the email right? Well, I would be a fool if I said I didn't at least open them, but after you get about 4 of said emails a day, you begin to become numb to all the dangers this world has to offer your children.

I believe that it's simply all about the title. If the letters FW: are in it, you can be sure it will be deleted. I wish people would start coming up with their own interesting jokes, warnings, reminders, and stories and stop forwarding other people's!