Attention: there is a new and entertaining way for parents to stalk your every move. That’s right, our beloved Facebook is being used in offices, homes and coffee shops all over the place by parents who now dedicate all of their time to making their children’s lives miserable. Let me clarify, more miserable than before.
Now it is obvious that not all parents are guilty of tormenting their children.Some parents mind their own business and don’t even acknowledge they have children at all, let alone children with Facebook profiles.
Imagine your excitement when you receive a new friend request. Now imagine opening your new friend request on Facebook and finding a lovely photograph of your mother, father or crazy Uncle Louie.
I am here to tell you that it does happen and for me the very thought of it makes me cringe.
Parents used to spend their time reading the newspaper, cooking dinner and grocery shopping, doing “normal” parent things. They have now allowed Facebook to consume their lives.
I believe in equal rights for everyone just as much as the next person but sometimes there is a time to draw a line. In this case the line is humility; humility for everyone, for the parents who are posting ridiculous statuses and for their offspring who have to witness them.
The first thing that is important is whether you accept your parent in the first place. Thank goodness for my parents lack of time and knowledge of technology because I don’t think I would be able to accept the request.
For those of you who are brave enough to venture to the other side and do it, you may want to be aware of the support that is out there for you.
The awkwardness of receiving messages filled with slang words from your mom when she should be doing other things is difficult to deal with. So it’s a good thing Erika Brooks Adickman and Jeanne Leitenberg, creators of MyParentsJoinedFacebook.com, have created a safe haven for all of those suffering from the growing epidemic.
On their website they offer an area to vent as well as examples of other sufferers who may just have it worse than you, even though that may be hard to believe.
The idea of having parents’ who post everything about themselves on their Facebook so the 22 people they went to high school with, who also have profiles, can see what they are doing now-a-days is sad.
But, don’t fear, you are not alone. There are hundreds of kids in the same boat. We can learn to think before we post. Together, survive this epidemic.
