This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at St Olaf chapter.
Question: Dear Miss. Manitou, My parents both recently got Facebook…and have friend-requested me! I don’t want to hurt their feelings, but (for quite a few reasons) I don’t want them seeing everything on my page. What should I do?
Answer: My gut reaction, and hear me out, is this…. Add them. And stop doing whatever you are doing that you are trying to hide from them. If you are worried about your parents seeing things that you are doing on your Facebook, you shouldn’t have a Facebook.
Think about a scenario like this: Let’s say that you don’t want them to see the conversations that you are having with your friends, your photos, or the types of events that you are attending. These might include things such as partying, drinking, swearing, rude comments, etc. Change the fact that they are your parents; turn them into future employers or, for that matter, current employers. This is the world wide web, ladies. There is nothing hidden from anyone.
If your parents (who are typically the same age or a little bit younger than your employers) would be upset by what they saw on your Facebook page, your employers will be too! Unlike your parents, however, they are not obliged to love you unconditionally; they can and will make decisions according to the actions that they see on your social networking page and you won’t like the outcome. And this applies not only to future employers but future scholarship donors, grad schools, etc. You could lose your income and a variety of wonderful opportunities. This is a risk that you shouldn’t be willing to take!
I know that wasn’t the answer that you had in mind, but I hope that I got you thinking about what you’re posting online. Your parents love you and care about you. Most likely, they are trying to catch up with what you are doing in college. If you are ashamed of the things that you are doing in college, either stop doing them (which is 100% foolproof and my personal preference) or find a way to block those things from being seen. Then, make your parents’ day by adding them to your list of friends and showing them that you aren’t embarrassed to associate yourselves with them.
xoxo
Miss Manitou
P.S. Get ready for a lot of comments on all your photos and status’ and an increase of wall posts and messages. Parents love to creep!