Parents and Facebook- It’s Like Watching a Train Wreck
Do they even think before they post?
I used to be jealous of parents who had the internet at their fingertips, registering their kids for camp while still in their pajamas. Back when my kids were little, signing them up for activities involved going to the dance studio or the recreation centre and waiting in line the day registrations opened. We stood there, sometimes for hours, trying to hear what others ahead of us were signing up for, and hoping there would still be a spot available when we got to the front of the line.
Back when my kids were young, if I was looking for advice or feedback on a doctor, we had to play a version of six degrees of separation, calling people who might know someone, who might know someone, who could give us useful answers.
Now if a parent wants a recommendation for a new orthodontist, they put a question out on the local parent page on Facebook. Within minutes, they have more information than they know what to do with.
But recently, I’ve noticed a trend. Parents seem to be oversharing and forgetting that these Facebook groups are public. This is not an intimate gathering of best friends. Acquaintances, strangers, random people will all be seeing these posts.
