No sooner did I hit the “Publish” button on my last post for keeping your kids safe online, my 11-year old son creates a Facebook account. Mind you, I’ve already told him that no one under the age of 13 is allowed to have a FB page in my house. He did this completely without my knowledge. I was pretty pissed when I found out. I discovered his page when I was going to my own FB page and saw that someone was already logged in. He never logged out of his account.
We had a long discussion on the #1 issue: TRUST. By starting a FB account without my permission or knowledge, especially after I was very clear that they could not join Facebook, he broke my trust. Each time he lies or hides something, my trust is continually eroding. The consequence of those actions mean that one day, when he wants me to trust him by giving him some form of freedom, I’m not going to feel comfortable with it due to the past lying and untruths.
It’s a conversation we have on a regular basis because, let’s face it, kids lie. They lie so they won’t get in trouble. They lie so they don’t have to face the consequences of their actions. My hope is that they will eventually learn that the consequences of lying about a bad decision are far worse than the action itself. We see it every day in the news. The latest most salacious example would be Anthony Weiner. If he had fessed up from the start, he may not have had to resign from his post.
I’m not a highly permissive parent, but I want my children to learn how to make decisions. I try to guide them and keep them on the right path. It doesn’t always work, but I do the best I can.
Managing Motherhood 
Jul 19, 2011 @ 06:03:14
Another fine post, and I bet you can predict what someone of my generation will say. Didn’t have FB, didn’t have computers, rabbit ears on the TV and two channels and no remote, played football outside without equipment and gave each other concussions, blah blah blah. Actually, I lied. Mom did have a remote control for the TV. It was called “Michael.”
Jul 27, 2011 @ 02:05:22
The next time I read a blog, I hope that it doesnt disappoint me as much as this one. I mean, I know it was my choice to read, but I actually thought youd have something interesting to say. All I hear is a bunch of whining about something that you could fix if you werent too busy looking for attention.
Jul 27, 2011 @ 18:07:11
Sorry you had such a bad experience. As a mom, I’ve come to the realization that I can’t make everyone happy. I hope you come back later and find something you like.