Friended by Mom & Dad on Facebook

When I joined Facebook several years ago, it used to be only open to college students; you had to register with a college email address in order to be added to the list. As Facebook's popularity grew, it started to become less and less exclusive. Suddenly, the site started allowing high school students to join. Parents then joined to keep track of their children's Internet use, and then started networking with their own friends.


Enter the "Facebook Age."

Suddenly what used to be the place to post drunken pictures from last night's party or bemoan via status update about how you haven't yet begun the research paper due in 3 hours has to be censored. It's bad enough that you have to worry about Facebook being utilized as a background check service by a potential employer (or date). Now every post/picture/note must be scrutinized to determine what might happen if your parents saw it. As Brooks Adickman (love the last name!), co-founded of MyParentsJoinedFacebook.com said, "When parents start joining, the party's over."

My mother is one of those parents who has joined Facebook. And since we all know that social networking sites are essentially "casually stalking," she has become obsessed. The following incidents have occurred since she joined:

* She has friended my friends, college roommates, and ex-boyfriends.

* She comments on my status updates about how much she loves me.

* She discusses people’s Facebook updates with them the next time she sees them.

* She uses Facebook to keep abreast of town gossip: “Did you know that John & Sandy got engaged?… It’s on her Facebook!”

* She goes to family parties or social engagements and immediately asks "are you on FaceBook?...I'll friend request you when I get home!"

* While sorting through family photos, she finds embarrassing childhood pictures (luckily not of me), and scans them into her photo album.

* She has reunited with family on Facebook (not a negative)

* She inundates me with Farm Town, Farm Ville (did you know there are TWO identical programs?), and Pillow Fight requests..... NOTE: I abhor the Facebook applications. I miss the simpler days.

I find the above habits more amusing than annoying though. She’s a social person, and extremely family oriented, so she enjoys being able to connect with relatives spread all over the globe. She recently began conversing with a distant cousin in Greece, and now plans to fly my whole family over there to visit. SCORE!

So, dear Reader, do you have any similar stories to share? Rant, whine, laugh, cry, and commiserate with me.