Mom Sends ‘Live’ Festive Photo to Family, Forgetting One Crucial Detail

When Kimberly Diane Barber from South Carolina first shared a picture of the fireplace she had just finished decorating for Christmas, she told Newsweek she could never have predicted the reaction it would get from her daughter Taylor McGuigan and the rest of the family.

Though smartphone technology may be a relatively new introduction, it’s one that has been embraced by the vast majority of people, regardless of age. A 2022 Pew Research Center survey found that, while 96 percent of 1,502 respondents aged 18 to 29 use smartphones, that percentage only drops slightly among 30- to 49-year-olds, with 95 percent claiming to use these types of devices.

The drop-off is not even that steep among 50- to 64-year-olds, with 83 percent claiming to own and use a smartphone. The only notable shift down comes with respondents aged 65 and older, where 61 percent claim to use a smartphone.

However, just because older generations are making use of this technology doesn’t necessarily mean they don’t experience the occasional hiccup, as McGuigan and her family discovered to their horror and amusement a few days ago.

It all started when Barber shared a photo with the rest of her family: a seemingly innocent snap of some festive greenery adorning a fireplace and topped off with the usual decorations and a few eye-catching reindeer and Christmas tree ornaments for good measure.

What she failed to realize, however, was that she had sent them a “live” photo of the decorations, meaning what was playing on her earbuds could be heard in the background of the clip.

At the time she was listening to Break Me, a steamy romance novel by author K.A. Tucker. So, when Barber sent the live photo, it included a snippet of the book being read out loud describing “the front of his pants to the bulge forming.”

McGuigan told Newsweek she is at least partially responsible for what happened. “I introduced my mom to dark romance last year and she’s been hooked,” she said.

However, even she was stunned at what she heard on the live photo. “When my husband and I looked at the picture, it played the ‘live’ version, and we heard the part of the book she was in,” McGuigan said. “We started hysterically laughing!”

McGuigan immediately FaceTimed her mom to let her know what had happened. “”She turned a whole new shade of red,” she said.

The audio accompanying the photo, understandably, sent the family WhatsApp group into meltdown. “OMG [oh my God],” came one response, with another family member writing: “no words.”

“I didn’t know that could happen,” Barber wrote in the group. “I am never going to live this down.”

“It was a funny moment for everyone,” McGuigan said. “She jokingly said it was my fault for introducing her to these books, and even though she loves them, she’s embarrassed that people know she reads and enjoys them.”

McGuigan has since shared the audio from the live photo, as well as her family’s responses on WhatsApp to her TikTok, @ogmommom.

Despite the embarrassment, McGuigan said that her mom has been able to see the funny side in it all and was happy for her to share the clip to social media. “She was embarrassed, but she owned it. We all had a good laugh over it.” she said. “We thought everyone else, especially mother and daughters and BookTok [TikTok’s book club community], would love it too.”

McGuigan and Barber own a women’s boutique, Willow Dock Designs, and will be spending Christmas together, so you can guarantee it will be brought up a few more times by friends and family over the coming weeks.

In the meantime, Barber is taking precautions to ensure she avoids a repeat of the incident. “She has sworn to always pause her books and turn the live feature off before taking and sending photos,” McGuigan said. “She had no idea that you would be able to hear it through the Live Photos while listening on her earbuds.”