More facebook talk

a little pic of the Wrigley building in Chicago (because I like architecture almost as much as flowers)

I've blogged about facebook before (click here if you want to read it).

And how my kids harass me about how I use it.

Today, I'm not feeling much blogger creativity so I thought I'd show you a little evidence of some of that harassment.

I fully admit that I facebook stalk my kids. They know it, it's part of the agreement we made when they signed up for it. Mom and Dad get full access or you get nada.

I also fully admit that I steal pics of them out of their albums and then repost them on my site.

It's my right as a mother.

They spent 9 months in my womb (yes, I will also admit, I'm almost looking for reasons to say womb now- just to torment Mac) and 20+ hours of labor on each and countless other humiliating things related to the birthing process.

It's my right as a mother.

So a couple weeks ago, I decided that it had been a while since I posted pics of the kids so I spent some time perusing their albums for something I liked. Of course my girls (or their friends) each post about 12 thousand pictures every couple of weeks so finding nice ones of them is easy. The two boys are a little more difficult and I ended up adding some from my own stock.

All and all, I think it ended up being a nice little album. I titled it "facebook stalking my kids #2".

The next morning I find this comment on my album from one of my offspring (again, I won't name names):

mother i dont know how you dont get the facebook photos concept.. let me explain..1. make an album in yourcase you could sum all of this into "im a creepfest" 2. add photos**important** two weeks later you think hmm i want to add more pictures to my facebook you DO NOT create a new album!! you just go to "im a creepfest" edit and add photos! then youre not a loser who has 43 thousand albums of 15 photos!! do you understand?!

Have I mentioned lately that I love my teens?

But I had some lovely friends who happened to give me some facebook love and support.

Awesome Wendy had this to say~

I personally prefer the multiple photo albums, then I don't have to search through photos. I can skip right to "fb stalking my kids." But then, I'm a loser too.

And the Very Hip Vicky added this~

Loser here too, love, love,love your mom's way!

There ya go. We facebook mom's need to stick together.

Since I'm on the subject of facebook. I have spent a little bit of time looking at some of the other kids facebook walls that I'm friends with- not in a stalkerish kinda way, I assure you. Looking to see if what my kids say is true about how we use it. I looked at kids that range from teens to twenties. The biggest difference I see in our facebook usage besides the photo album thingie is how they don't comment on each others posts.

I think that is a little sad. I would think it would feel like your talking to yourself and no one cares (kinda like blogging and no one comments-*hint*hint*).

Maybe they don't care if anyone is listening. Maybe it's just a generation thing.

get your hands off my facebook!

I have this on-going argument with my 4 kids.

Actually, I have quite a few, but I don't want to bore you.

We argue about proper facebook etiquette.

Apparently, listed in the areas that I'm "embarrassing" as the mother of teenagers, my facebook usage is right at the top....don't worry....I'm used to being the cause of blushes and rolling eyes....of being flat out told "OMGosh Mom! will you please just stop!"....it doesn't hurt my feeling anymore....sniff, sniff, sob....NOT!

See, Nae (my college senior) argues with me that facebook was originally developed for her age group...college kids-to keep in touch (yeah,I know that, so what?) and that now all these old people are getting in on it. And we use it all wrong!

My other kids agree, apparently they think that all the commenting we do on each others posts is silly (not their word but mine- of course). Or the conversations we have on each others "walls" is not right. Oh! and saying what we are doing in our status and leaving it up.....the list goes on and on.....

If you ask me (and you're here reading my blog, so....) facebook is so much more useful to us "old" people. I've been in touch with people I haven't seen or talked to in 20+ years....my kids, on the other hand, are checking up on people they saw in school or at the mall 2 hours ago.

Facebook has been great, no only for reconnecting to those people I haven't seen in forever but also for easing the pain of relocating. Seeing the faces and "on goings" of my friends back home makes me feel a little less lonely for them as compared to past moves I experienced.

I can only imagine how great facebook would have been during those days when my kids were tots and I felt like a prisoner in my own home...

I do have my own personal "rules of facebook decorum".

Here's a few.

#1. I don't friend request my kids friends ( I do enjoy embarrassing my kids on purpose once and a while {don't tell them that, I'll deny it...yes I will!} but I can just imagine the fall out...."Mom my friends want to know why you are friend requesting them...are you trying to kill me? Please stop!"). I do have a few of my kids friends, but they requested me....I'll admit, when I get that request I feel "oh so cool"....they like me....they must really like me!.....actually it's probably for other reasons (see #3).

#2 I don't facebook stalk my kids...that's a lie...I do and it's SOOO fun!....sorry, I'm being embarrassing. I'll stop now.

#3 I don't friend request people just to get a really high number of friends...I have a feeling I've been requested for that reason by others (see #1)....but that's ok.

#4 I don't publish every single thing I do....some stuff-- if people wanna see it they'll find it in my profile eventually. I think of fb as my own personal area to decorate....since my husband won't let me at home (but that's a whole other blog post).

Don't get me wrong, I think facebook is great for my kids too (most of the time)...ok wait....reconsidering that....

Facebook is good for the kids headed off to college to stay in touch. I'm not very convinced it is beneficial to my middle/high school kids. I think they probably see more junk than is helpful.

Maybe my kids need to be a little more grateful that I've even allowed them to have a facebook page! Yeah! And if their gonna keep insulting me on how I use my facebook maybe I'll just take theirs away! Yeah! I have the power....yes I do...

What I'd like is for us to all live in facebook harmony. You use your facebook however you want and I'll use my facebook however I want. An "old, embarrassing, totally uncool" mom can dream (can't she?).