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As the mom of two I cannot for the life of me understand why people would want to post about their kids 24/7 on Facebook. It's tacky, it's distasteful, nobody (except perhaps immediate family) wants to look at my kids or hear about my kids 24/7, and it's just plain obnoxious.
Yay for you that you have a baby with a great Apgar score, or a 5-year-old that is already doing volunteer work at an animal shelter, but trust me, nobody cares EXCEPT YOU.
It's just so uncouth and classless to gloat about your kids online. It just screams of attention-seeking and low self-worth.
Maybe they need to include social media training at Lamaze........
To answer the question-I think it is because in some way they are saying, "look at me, I'm the best parent in the world." Indirectly of course. It's a brag. It's obnoxious at times, but I don't mind it if it's not EVERY. SINGLE. day.
. . . to post about their kids 24/7 on Facebook. It's tacky, it's distasteful, . . . nobody cares EXCEPT YOU. . . It just screams of attention-seeking and low self-worth. . . .
Celebrating can be positive, but bragging can also be negative. A little is usually okay.
Like most things, there is a limit: even too much water can kill you. The problem is that we all have different tolerance levels. If you have no tolerance (for whatever reason), the solution is to edit your fb settings. Unsubscribe from the annoying friend's updates or unfriend completely. You can control some your exposure.
Some parents may be trying to build a child's self esteem or give themselves a pat on the back when they are feeling down. I've seen parents who are struggling with their kids' health, developmental, social, or educational issues brag about tiny accomplishments because they are big deals to them and their families. I get that. I've also seen parents with pathetic lives who live vicariously through their children's accomplishments. A few times I have even seen public cries for help from people whose lives were falling apart.
Some parents do go overboard. I have seen moms and aunts call teens beautiful, sexy, amazing, perfect etc. and some post 1,000s of pictures. Others can be relentless with their daily posts about their awesome kids and their own amazing parenting skills. Calling your child the most beautiful, the smartest, or the best athlete in the world is bound to grate on some parents' nerves--especially the competitive ones.
Your ability to celebrate or tolerate these achievements, often depends on two things: your own life (especially your self-esteem) and the frequency and intensity of your friend's bragging.
Try to focus on the positive. While it might be annoying to see 200 pictures of Haley's beautiful face at her absolutely perfect birthday party, it is truly heartbreaking when you see your friend post that her child has ran away from home, has been using drugs, has a terminal illness, or was killed by a drunk driver. So, be glad that your friends have amazing children who will be the future Einsteins, Mozart's, and world leaders. Trust me, those posts beat the "My kid is dying of cancer." posts.
I do understand that these parents can be annoying. I will admit to unsubscribing from an incessantly whiny friend's updates after she described her children's vomit and diarrhea. Certain lines weren't meant to be crossed.
Facebook has a hide feature. You also have the option of unfriending people if you find their posts so terrible.
I actually find people far more self-centered when they expect the world to cater to them. It takes 2 seconds to hide something you don't like; or do you expect people to go through their entire friendlist and individually block people from seeing posts they might find mildly annoying?
As the mom of two I cannot for the life of me understand why people would want to post about their kids 24/7 on Facebook. It's tacky, it's distasteful, nobody (except perhaps immediate family) wants to look at my kids or hear about my kids 24/7, and it's just plain obnoxious.
Yay for you that you have a baby with a great Apgar score, or a 5-year-old that is already doing volunteer work at an animal shelter, but trust me, nobody cares EXCEPT YOU.
It's just so uncouth and classless to gloat about your kids online. It just screams of attention-seeking and low self-worth.
Maybe they need to include social media training at Lamaze........
As the mom of two I cannot for the life of me understand why people would want to post about their kids 24/7 on Facebook. It's tacky, it's distasteful, nobody (except perhaps immediate family) wants to look at my kids or hear about my kids 24/7, and it's just plain obnoxious.
I understand the "hide" feature on FB. The OP didn't ask how to hide or unfriend people. She asked why we think people brag. Even those who hide or unfriend, don't you sometimes wonder why people do what they do?
I think it's just like in real life: Some people have diarrhea of the mouth in person, and some people absolutely do not consider how their FB posts may be received.
Really, though, it's more about you than the person posting. It's just personal preference. Why villainize someone just because they're posting something that annoys YOU? Unless they are deliberately posting hurtful, discriminatory or otherwise hurtful stuff, it's just something that bothers YOU.
That's where the "hide" etc. features come in handy. Customize your FB feed so it won't be so offensive to you.
I think people post what's in their lives. If your child is doing well in school... that's what you post. What you see as a brag may just be everyday life to someone else.
I know people who work in the entertainment industry who post photos of themselves with some tremendously famous people in wonderful places. It's not bragging to them. It's just their lives. If the OP's friend has very achieving, successful children.... that's her reality.
You can block them or you can say, "Oh look. She helping animals. Good for her!"
I understand the "hide" feature on FB. The OP didn't ask how to hide or unfriend people. She asked why we think people brag. Even those who hide or unfriend, don't you sometimes wonder why people do what they do?
I definitely wonder why some people post what they do on Facebook! The OP doesn't seem to be wondering though; it's more like an attack on people for posting what I consider pretty innocent stuff on a website. If the OP is so offended by pictures of children it seems like a better solution is the hide/unfriend option instead of ranting about how classless/uncouth/terrible their "friends" are.
Sometimes simply being happy is enough for some people to think you are bragging though. I post pictures/videos of happy, sweet or pretty things most of the time. Usually that has something to do with my son because he's 2 (so funny and cute) and because of him I'm out at a lot of pretty places. Mostly it is so my family can see what we're up to. But it's also for my husband. He is not very compute savvy but sometimes he is near a computer at work on a slow day and he gets to go through and see things that will make him smile.
Maybe the OP was referring to really obvious or obnoxious bragging? I don't know. I know one Mom who talks almost continuously about how tall her daughter is. So I get that it can be strange and annoying when people brag. But it seems like a lot of people have a lot of facebook gripes. I like seeing what other people are up to!
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Just be Happy if You Can.
amazing, perfect etc. and some post 1,000s of pictures. Others can be relentless with their daily posts about their awesome kids and their own amazing parenting skills. Calling your child the most beautiful, the smartest, or the best athlete in the world is bound to grate on some parents' nerves--especially the competitive ones. 
So, be glad that your friends have amazing children who will be the future Einsteins, Mozart's, and world leaders. Trust me, those posts beat the "My kid is dying of cancer." posts. 
Certain lines weren't meant to be crossed. 
