How to reject an aunt's Facebook friend request?

[378]

I'm friends with some cool cousins and a cool aunt. But today I got a friend request from another aunt, who's very strict and will probably cause a scene if I do anything on Facebook she thinks is bad. I really don't want to add her. I swore to myself that I wouldn't add anymore family members. What should I say to her? The cousins and the cool aunt I added live far away. The strict aunt lives near me. Should I just tell her I use Facebook for friends and far away relatives? Will she be hurt? Please help, I really don't want to add her.

[Cesar]

The easier solution is to let that Friend Request there and don't do anything, just let it be. If She ask later you can always say that you didn't see it, the other alternative is to add her but create a special group just for her that doesn't allow her to see any information about you.

[Happy Girl 20]

Just don't respond to the friend request until you have decided the best course of action to take.

[712]

Most people go through and friend everyone that they know. This is especially true for older generations, who don't think of Facebook as something that a kid would want to keep separate from adults in their family. So, it's possible that you could just ignore her request and she wouldn't even notice. I have ignored many people's friend requests and I've never heard anyone raise a fuss over it.

If she DOES ask, then I would think you'd have several options:

1. Joke that you see her all the time -- that you only use Facebook for people you don't see so often. If she protests, then you can explain more firmly that you used to have tons of friends on Facebook and it was overwhelming. You've decided that it makes your life easier if you just keep some boundaries on it. An "I'm sure you understand" after your explanation sometimes helps to drive home the point.

2. Joke that you'd have to watch your p's and q's if she was on Facebook. She'll either take the hint and realize it's better for her to stay your aunt than try to be your friend, or she will get indignant and say "You should always be watching your p's and q's even if I'm not around!" (in which case you say, "Yeah, it's probably best if we stick to family get-togethers. I wouldn't want to make you uncomfortable") or she will protest that she is cool and that she wouldn't mess with your business. If she says that then you can say, "You don't think it would be weird?" and if she is still hoping to be the cool aunt, then she will promise not to make a fuss over anything that you say or do on Facebook.

3. You can just let her friend you and be good. It's not as hard as you might think.