Just Pondering

I admit it. I am a Facebook addict. I probably post more than most people want to know (but thankfully have not resorted- yet- to sharing too much information. I mean, nobody cares about your bathroom habits- just sayin') Since we live so far from home, family and many friends I had growing up, it is really nice to be able to keep in touch by actually seeing pictures and posts from people. It makes me feel like I am there and experiencing it. Like, recently, when the military once again got in the way of us attending our twenty year high school reunion. I watched the posts, tags and pictures on Facebook pop up that weekend and it was almost as good as being there- seeing faces I haven't seen in twenty years.

However- there are times, when it creeps me out. I am in a bit of a conundrum and am not sure yet what I want to do about it. My son has been asking me for a Facebook page for over a year now. I won't let him have one. He has his own email address and communicates with grandparents and cousins through it. I feel this is enough for now. I don't like the idea of my eight-year-old on Facebook. I have held firm in this.

I realized that you are usually stricter with your oldest child. And that Zoe will probably have these privileges at a younger age than her brother did, but that is the plight of the older child- to be the guinea pig. Now, with that said- I am not judging anyone who has a third grader with a Facebook page. I am sure there are children in Noah's class and grade with older siblings that have these privileges and therefore they have them too. In fact I know there are. Which brings me to my problem.

A student in Noah's class sent me a message on Facebook last week just telling me who she is and that she is in Noah's class and rides his bus. I figured she was looking for Noah, so I responded and told her he did not have a Facebook page yet, but shared his email address if she wanted to contact him. I got a message back that she knew he didn't have a Facebook page and that she lives pretty close to us. That was it. And I thought we were done with it. But, Noah never got an email from her, and today, I noticed I have a friend request from her.

I am not comfortable with this. I don't want to seem like a prude, but I am uncomfortable having a "friendship" with an eight-year-old. One of my son's classmates at that. I feel it somehow blurs that adult/child boundary. Not that I have an inappropriate Facebook page. I don't post crazy pictures or use filthy language (alright, I do swear sometimes, but I try to keep it PG for the most part) but, I also feel that some things I might do and say are adult things. I mean, it's bad enough that one day I will be held responsible on some therapist's couch for screwing up my own children. I don't need the added pressure of screwing up someone else's child too.

Am I wrong? Am I a prude? I am not in any way ashamed of my actions, but I feel sometimes things I say, or my humor might be too mature for an eight-year-old's eyes.

I would like your thoughts on this.