Parenting by Democracy

Julie and I tend to play things a little close to the vest. Before we moved to Hong Kong (mall capital of the world) the girls had not spent much time hanging out in malls. We screen their movies pretty closely. We don’t have a gaming system like the Wii or X-box. Neither girl has a Facebook account.

For those of you not familiar with Facebook, anybody can create a page of themselves on the internet where she lists her favorite foods and movies and what-not. People post pictures and updates on what’s going on in their lives. It’s a great way to get in contact with people you haven’t heard from in years. Facebook is used by people of all ages, but it is particularly popular with teens who can easily spend hours and hours every week on Facebook.

I actually created a Facebook account as a way to get the word out last spring that our house was available for rent. I rarely –almost never- go onto my Facebook account.

One of the other things you can do on Facebook is take surveys and join various groups such as the “I’m addicted to Diet Coke” or “The I hate the Twilight books” groups.

This morning, I opened my email account and saw that I had an invitation from one of my students to join a group that she and some friends had created on Facebook.

It’s called “Let Annika have Facebook.”

You can get more information (or join) at http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=217305807449 .

“Let Annika Have Facebook” already has twenty-seven members/followers.

I have the distinct feeling that the inmates are trying to run the asylum.

Good thing I am impervious to peer pressure from thirteen-year-olds.

-Jack