Sandy-gram

[#1]

There was a hysterical sketch on Saturday Night Live (starring the ‘Glee’fully spectacular Jane Lynch) for a fake product called the “D*** it, My Mom’s on Facebook"  filter which turns incriminating postings into “mom-friendly” messages.

One college student recounts a wild night, and then uses this handy filter to make his comments super-mom appropriate with the revised post, “Boy, do I need new dungarees!”  To which his perky mom promises to send him a $5 coupon to Kohl’s.

I watched and laughed out loud…and then stopped dead in my tracks...could I be the mom in this? Could it be that my witty texts to my college daughter (and, eeeh gad, even a couple of her friends) have been met with ridicule…or even used as a source of amusement? “You’ve got to read what my mom just texted me!” 

In this wildly electronic world, it’s tough to find the right tool to communicate with our kids. According to a recent Neilson Company study, the  average teenager sends 3,339 texts per month. What’s a mom to do but jump in?

I like to think that we’re actually opening the lines of communication today. Let’s face it, texting is great because there’s no real commitment. You can just pop a note off to someone, “Let’s meet at 8…” or “Did you get the stuff I sent?”  That’s all you really wanted to say. You don’t need a 20 minute conversation to get the point across.

So is this a bad thing or a good thing? Well, if your mom’s Facebooking you…let’s face it, she’s in your business a bit too much. But a good ol’ fashioned text now and then? Probably okay.

What do you think?

Keep 'em Safe: Remind your kids not to text or use a cell phone while driving.

[#2]

I'm actually friends with my teenage daughter and many of her friends (who requested that I friend them) on facebook. I admit I get into their conversations and make funny comments. And then they'll post comments that make it clear I'm welcome. I guess it just depends on the dynamic of one's relationship with one's teenager. Next year she heads off to college and my gameplan is that at that point I won't get involved with her facebook conversations, as they'll probably be with college friends I've never met (as opposed to high school friends who practically live at my house). However, it'll be a nifty way to just keep tabs on the climate of her life, so to speak, to get a sense of whether she's doing well, feeling blue, whatever.

[#3]

I don't actually have a facebook account yet, but I'm seriously considering it.  My children have never used their cell phones very much (I know, very odd), and now that they're in college, they use facebook more than they do their email.  I had one time when I needed to get in touch with my son and had to enlist his cousins who reached him via facebook!  I often hear from my friends (who were once my children's teachers and my colleagues) about the quirky things my children have posted and I feel totally out of it.  I'm seriously considering starting an account just to enjoy some of their posts and, as petgirl said, to get a sense of how they're feeling.  Is there anyone out there who's NOT on facebook like me?

[#4]

I've just started getting into facebook and am finding it curiously addictive. It's lovely to just check in with friends or make comments. It makes me feel as if I'm having coffee with friends and just catching up. I spend a lot of time at home and find it harder to get out and about the way I used to, and for me facebook has become a way to feel less isolated.

[#5]

Gardendigger mentioned facebook's addictive quality.  That's actually one of my concerns.  I can just see myself commenting away until the wee hours of the morning.  In fact, I know someone who stayed up all night long right after she established her own facebook page.  She didn't even realize it until daylight started streaming through her shades!  

Has anyone else had this happen?

[#6]

I do spend time on facebook but it doesn't take time away from doing other things, and I've never let so much time pass that I've wasted sleep or whatever. I guess it depends on whether one does or doesn't have a "binge" type of personality and can have self-discipline. I admit that I go on first thing to check in what people are up to - that's become my routine - but then I get on with my day.

Regarding technologies that work well with communicating with ones teenagers - I would highly recommend to scout11 and anyone who has a kid in college, or even just friends or relatives at some distance, that you get Skype on your computer. It's just something you download, and it doesn't cost anything. You should have a web cam on your computer (or add one). If both parties have it, you can just have a video conference with each other. I love it for talking to friends overseas, and for talking to my mom who's two states away. And when my daughter heads to college in the fall, she has promised to Skype regularly with me!

[#7]

Although I'm not on facebook, I have used skype and just as petgirl said, it's great!!  You have the choice of either audio only or video and it's a wonderful and free way to talk to friends and family.  Everyone should try it!

[#8]

skype is great, but i'm curious how people feel about being "friends" with their children on facebook....some of the commenters above seem to think it's a great way to make sure your kid's doing ok...but i just heard from a mother the other day who compared it to reading your child's diary...i guess if your child lets you friend them then it's not like you're violating their confidence, but it still seems like a fine line....what do other parents out there do?