What you forget is that may of us value our IT help desk time as an escape from the family drama of the holidays. "Leave me alone for a few hours while I scan, de-frag, de-spyware and de-virus your computer." Plus we get to make our parents feel stupid and we get to be right for once.

"Make a blog" girl is FOYNE.

Indeed she is, @2. She can come over and teach me about computers any time she wants to.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QpmLrz_lS…

I also must mention that a favorite pastime of theirs is deleting files they don't recognize, particularly those ending in .exe.

They need a video entitled "Why you have twenty folders entitled 'New Folder' on your desktop".

I sent six of these video to my mom yesterday. No reply yet. Maybe she was insulted.

I'm not supposed to open those .Exe files I get in my e-mails? said dad.

-_-

I've never understood why people have a problem with this. Either you like doing the work for your family, or you tell them "No". I did the latter over a decade ago, and despite having a computer science degree and working in the software industry, I've not had to deal with any family IT work ever since. It's great!

Rather than complaining about it, just tell them "no". If they can't figure it out themselves, con another family member or the junior high kid down the street, or won't pay for a professional, then they don't really need their computer after all.

I just bought my parents a Mac and the one-on-one time at the Apple store. Problem solved.

The copy and paste dude looks like he's having a hard time keeping a straight face. So am I.

I always joke with my parents in that I tell them to forget about getting any help from me if they get a Windows machine.

Copy and paste the guy looks like he's excited to keep a straight face when. I am also
http://getslimacai.net

Yer all a bunch of snooty know-it-alls! Didn't those same parents teach most of you how to DRIVE??

@14, nope. It was the crazy uncle in the country with the standard transmission Datsun pickup.

I think I will just get my parents a box set of the The IT Crowd for Christmas and they can figure it out somehow...

OPEN SOURCE HAS A POSSE

I have been grateful for years that several members of my family are stuck in gender role stereotypes, as it's kept me from becoming the family Geek Squad. I've been a systems administrator for more than 30 years (seriously!), but the family pesters my nephew instead, because a) he's male, and b) he's a few years younger, so he must know more, right? So HE gets the 2-hour calls at 10 p.m. on Saturday, NOT me.

Years ago, when I was consulting, I started telling both friends and family that they get one 1/2 hour consultation free; after that, they get my discounted bill rate, but they will be billed. Otherwise, I'd have no life. I'm talking family that LOVES Facebook, but is baffled beyond measure by being tagged on a note.

@14 Bad analogy. My parents taught me how to drive. I paid attention, I learned, and I no longer ask them how to put the car into gear or what to do when the oil light comes on. On the flip side, the "family IT guy" is being used by people who don't want to learn and instead just have him do stuff for them.

So yes, my parents taught me how to drive, I taught them how to use a computer, and we're even. If my car breaks, I either fix it myself or take it into the shop. If their computer breaks they can either fix it themselves or take it into the shop. Sounds fair to me.