Life
We all have different ideas about what is truly funny. To some, the idea of spending April Fools' Day posting a Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram update, complete with cutesy picture or cryptic message, that tells the world you're pregnant but ends in a big JK, is hysterical. It's actually not. There are so many reasons why you should not post a fake pregnancy announcement on April Fools Day if you want anyone to talk to you again.
I know many people like to share their pregnancy news on social media, but I'm not a big fan of announcing your pregnancy that way. Yes, it's the quickest way to tell the most people, but it's also impersonal and risky. The majority of your close friends and family really want to hear it straight from you, not from some online post. Maybe I'm superstitious, but until that baby is out and healthy, I'd feel funny having a permanent social media record of that declaration. The last thing you need is to post the big announcement, lose the baby, and then have to be reminded of your post every single year in your "See Your Memories" feature on Facebook.
If I feel that way about real pregnancy announcements, you can imagine how I feel about fake ones. This is a minefield, and in my opinion, it's not worth it. There are far more ways to offend people by doing it than there are people who will think it's funny. Still considering it? Here are the reasons you might want to think twice.
1
You'll Hurt People Without Even Knowing It
Your idea of a breezy joke is someone else's great pain. If you have a friend or a family member who has been trying to get pregnant and hasn't been successful or someone who has lost a baby, there is absolutely nothing funny about a fake announcement to them. If anything, it'll be horribly torturous seeing you take the idea of being pregnant so lightly.
2
Your Friends Will Be Pissed
Most people don't want to get their close friend's news on their Instagram feed or Facebook news feed. Before anyone knows it's fake, those closest to you might have an initial reaction of being furious they didn't rank receiving a private announcement and that they were informed with the masses. Even when you confess the joke, the anger will linger.
3
You're Toying With Your Family's Emotions
Here's how this one goes:
1. You post your fake announcement.
2. Your mother reads it.
3. She's half angry because you didn't tell her first (see #2, above) and half over the moon beyond excited to finally become a grandmother.
4. You tell her you were only kidding.
5. Fill in this part yourself. Yeah, it's not likely to be very good.
4
You'll Never Live It Down
It much easier to post a lie on social media and have it be believed than to post a correction with the truth and have everyone understand the first post was a lie. It's like a down pillow. Once you rip it open and the feathers start flying, it's nearly impossible to catch them all and gather them back. The odds are high that some people will see the first post and not the second, and therefore believe you are pregnant for real. Which will feel even worse when they tell you you've started showing... and all you've got brewing in there is your lunch.
5
Because Not Everyone Will Get That It's A Joke
So you put up the fake announcement in a first post, and your followers react, happy for you and wishing you well. Then you put up the second post. The "ha ha only joking" post. Except it falls flat and no one understands you were joking and why you would joke about something as big a deal as that. You'll be laughing alone.
6
You Don't Want To Cry Wolf
Remember the little boy who kept telling everyone there was a wolf when there wasn't, only to find no one believed him when there actually was a wolf? Don't be that boy. You want your true announcement to be credible and celebrated. A fake post is one way to make sure no one believes you when it's actually real.
7
It's Not Even That Funny
You and your partner may get a good laugh, but many other people will not be amused. It's just not that funny — really.
Check out Romper's new video series, Bearing The Motherload, where disagreeing parents from different sides of an issue sit down with a mediator and talk about how to support (and not judge) each other’s parenting perspectives. New episodes air Mondays on Facebook.
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