I tried gentle suggestions such as, “You might want to think twice before you post something on Facebook.” Then I tried reminders, “You do know so-and-so can read what you post.” Ahem…such as our pastor.
But then it all came down to one final moment of sheer exasperation. “Please stop posting all of your drama on Facebook!”
I truly do appreciate the expressive side of my daughter…to a point. I am almost on the verge of putting a disclaimer on some of her posts. “The views represented here don’t necessarily coincide with what her mother thinks.”
The truth is that my daughter is an average teenager—muddling through life, trying to find her way, dealing with drama and handling challenges that come her way. It’s just that with Facebook the whole world gets to experience it, too.
I think Facebook allows a comfort level that you don’t otherwise have. It’s also interesting to see what others think. So sometimes you might put something out there in an attempt to receive feedback.
If my daughter’s Facebook world only consisted of fellow teens, that would be one thing. But she is friends with grandparents, pastors of our church and some of my adult friends.
Yet on the other hand, I get this sense of protection that rises up when someone makes a comment about my daughter. It’s usually someone who has young children (in other words, has no clue how to deal with these teen years) or someone whose teen must be nearly perfect.
Sometimes I think those nearly perfect teens are just more secretive. They wrestle with the same things only they keep it to themselves.
They are either smart enough or too scared to be real. So there is somewhat of an appealing side to the fact that my daughter doesn’t really care what the world thinks. I like that she has enough confidence to be who she is.
Still…there are some posts that I seriously think about putting a disclaimer on. Perhaps I need to be a little more like her and not care what the world thinks.
Related Articles:
Using Facebook to Break Down the Barrier
My Love-Hate Relationship with Facebook
Photo by Andrew Feinberg in Flickr