‘Oh no – that doesn’t sound good,’ was how my mum reacted to news that she would be receiving a small windfall. It wasn’t that she was expecting more; she just hadn’t understood a word of the solicitor’s email that I’d relayed to her. So I’ve started to steer her in the right direction of how best to react. ‘This is good news, mum,’ or ‘no, that really isn’t good.’

It’s best to avoid discussions about work and technology with mum and stick to discussing our/cats’/friends’ activities and ailments. The opposite is true for my grandparents. ‘Never ask an octogenarian about their health,’ they joke. ‘It’s dangerous territory.’

My mum is probably the only person who is unaware of the Ice Bucket Challenge. The Click and Shout social phenomenon has not only ensured that I now know what ALS (Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis) is – a progressive neurodegenerative disease that affects nerve cells in the brains and spinal cord – but the New York Times has reported that the ALS Association has received $41.8 million in donations in just about a month. (That’s more than double what was raised in the full year of 2013.)

Questions have been raised about where the money actually goes while Pamela Anderson refused to take part in the challenge because of the ALS Association’s history of funding animal experiments that she describes as being cruel and fruitless. The challenge has certainly proved the internet’s power of engagement.

I also received news that the SumOfUs community has reached five million (I’m one of them!) after only two and a half years. ‘Oh wow – that sounds impressive,’ mum said.