Read Your Children’s Blogs (on Blogs and Social Networks: Friendster, Multiply, atbp.)

Posted on November 10, 2006
Filed Under Friends, Parenting and Family | Viewed 9956 times

I became aware of blogs only when I found out what my eldest son, Angelo, was doing for a living (The J Spot). I learned that my other kids BA (18 years old), Vince (17), Pauline (13), even Alan, Jr. (10) have their own blogs. At first I was intrigued, later became interested in what they wrote, and perhaps how they wrote. But there is something BIG into it. By reading their blogs, I continue t to know them better, their interests, who their friends are (yes, they have their friends’ links in their blogroll), what their friends perceive them to be, what they do in and outside school, what makes them happy, what bothers them, their innermost thoughts, their plans, etc., etc. Their creativity in designing their blogs is also amazing! I was surprised how advanced they are in the use of computers and the internet.

What about Angela and Monica? They do not have blogs, but they have Friendster accounts. There is also “My Multiply” account where they post their blogs and pictures. We parents may not really be aware of it, but chances are, with computers and online/DSL connections at home, our children not only chat, send emails or search the internet. They also have their own blogs, Friendster and My Multiply accounts which they update regularly.

Since we see our children, at most, only in the evenings or on weekends, it would be useful to connect with them through these links or what we call social networks. One time, while away on travel, I wrote a note to BA, one of my sons, in his blog post. Wow! His friends commented in his post. Your mom is cool, she reads your blogs. One of Angelo’s blog friends who read my first blog eve commented, “Whoa. If only I could get my mom to stop being afraid of using a computer. Kudos to your mom for such bravery”.

One interesting twist though was to learn from my 2 boys (BA and Vince) that when they started blogging 4 years ago, Angelo, who was then in college, asked them, with sarcasm perhaps, “Why do you blog? Don’t you have much better and productive things to do?”. Look who was talking? And look what he now does for a living – professional blogging, tech evangelist and new media consultant. What was perceived to be just a social activity in the past has become an income generating medium.

So, dear parents, take interest in reading your children’s blogs, Friendster and My Multiply. It is not “spying on them”, it is taking interest, it is being “a friend” in Friendster. Accept it, we are now in the internet age, and whether we like it or not, the internet is here to stay.

Comments

6 Responses to “Read Your Children’s Blogs (on Blogs and Social Networks: Friendster, Multiply, atbp.)”

noemi on November 10th, 2006 10:07 am

Oh yes, I have been reading my daughter’s blog since 1996. I really got to understand the internet culture and the youth of today through her. That’s what got me into blogging. Right now , my daughters have two types of blog: for public and private reading. The latter are reserved for friends while the former are for everyone including parents. Our whole family blogs even my husband.
A True Confession: My Children are Abnormal (Part 1) | Dine Racoma on November 23rd, 2006 7:52 am

[...] RSS ← Read Your Children’s Blogs (on Blogs and Social Networks: Friendster, Multiply, atbp.) [...]
BLOG or NO BLOG? | The D Spot on January 26th, 2007 2:34 pm

[...] Blogging has made me understand my children more better. In the past, I would PEEK into their blogs, friendsters, my multiply (refer to an earlier post on social networking) just to catch up with what they and their friends are up to. Now i would DIGEST each sharing and each emotion expressed. Now, I guess they (my husband included) understand me better, as they are the first readers of each post. They know that I am equally as crazy, not all goody goody. And their friends say, their mom’s cool. [...]
We’re a Dynasty (a blogging dynasty, that is) | The D Spot on March 30th, 2007 3:32 am

[...] take those comments as a hint. This brings me back to a post that I wrote in November 2006, titled, Read Your Children’s Blogs (on Blogs and Social Networks: Friendster, Multiply, atbp): I became aware of blogs only when I found out what my eldest son, Angelo, was doing for a living [...]
Tiffany on April 4th, 2007 8:09 pm

“His friends commented in his post. Your mom is cool, she reads your blogs.”

– Hahaha. Guilty I hope you don’t mind, I enjoy reading your blog ;D

sexy mom: thanks, Tiffany!
True Confessions: My Children Are Abnormal (Part 3) - - The Alien Tongues : The D Spot on July 25th, 2007 12:32 pm

[...] mentioned in an earlier post, family reads each other’s blogs, friendster, my multiply, or whatever social network one [...]