Making a Facebook account to keep in touch with your adult
children is a good idea. Right! It can be as long as you follow a few rules.
Learn from my mistakes. Do not post on a
picture of your son in a situation that you think is highly dangerous “be
careful out there, my baby boy”, no matter how worried you are. (In my defense
my firefighter son was standing in front of a raging forest fire preparing to
battle it, I still feel sick to my stomach). Comments like this embarrass them.
A lot! They can even get you un-friended. If a picture of your grown son, in a
toga (yep) finds its way to your news feed, make no comment. Many comments may
occur to you, such as “whoa dude, I am not sending you to college to party
every night”. Even, “hey nice toga” is not a good idea. It really isn’t safe to say much at all. Maybe a like, if you’re okay with all your
friends seeing your son wrapped in a sheet in front of a keg, surrounded by
sketchy friends. Oh, and you better not call his friends sketchy either. You can wish your adult child happy birthday,
as long as you don’t get all gushy and say something like “Happy Day to my best
boy”. Or “remember that birthday when
you cried because you didn’t get a Star Wars cake”. It is much better to
maintain a nonchalant attitude. Maybe a few likes on pictures, or “hey, how is
English 101 coming along?” Remember, they may be your “baby”, and you love
him/her very much, but keep it casual: on Facebook anyway.
I really like this post.I wish someone would of advised me on parent etiquette before I posted. Even adult daughters get upset. My youngest suggested that if I couldn't handle what I read or see, then I should maybe consider unfriending. Lucky for me it really wasn't her posting stupid stuff but her friends. I just don't comment anymore or like. I act like nothing is different and life is all the better...
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