So I have struggled with being a mom of an older child. My husband and I have sat and talked through what we find for certain activities for their ages. So lets just use Facebook as an example. We have an 8 year old and we want him to learn things that are age appropriate and such but we also want to keep him safe. Do we let him have a Facebook page to let him have freedom? Well my thing is with Facebook is that one it's very public so whatever you post can have unexpected repercussions for you. Such as legal ramifications depending on age. Sometimes it might be just a safety thing. Not just that Facebook has their own legal requirement which I think is a great idea.
At the age of 13 you learn more of what's right and what's wrong. You will learn more about rules and consequences. Not just that but you learn about the dangers of your actions, words, and sometimes your photos. So my husband and I have talked through this and we think it's weird that a parent would lie about their child's age just to get them an account. Some may argue it's to stay connected with family and they monitor their usage etc. But what are you in the long run teaching your child, to bend the rules just to get what you want. So will you find it acceptable if your child is, lets say 15 or so and they get a fake ID to go drinking would you be okay with that? I mean in all honesty isn't that what you kind of did for your child to get on the social network that can easily be hacked and pedi-files looking at their photo's or chatting with them? Yes kids under the age of 13 are not (hopefully not) drinking and what not but where do you draw the line. It's like monkey see monkey do right. They do what you do and sometimes they do what you don't want them to because they still see you doing it.
I want my child to have the freedom to enjoy life and not have to be thrown into a life where they expect them to grow up faster than they should. My 8 year old will not have a Facebook account until he is at least 13 years old if not older because he is not ready for that kind of responsibility. I just read something today that grandparents will no longer receive handwritten letters from their grandchildren it will be through text, email, or Facebook. That saddens me to think that children are going to be growing up in a day in age where they wont be able to practice writing because it's all online. I can say I enjoy getting emails and such but what really means a lot to me is to receive a letter or card via mail. To see that people would go that extra mile to write on it, fill out the address line and stick it in the mailbox. Call me old call me sentimental but to me to make someone feel worth something to you is to go that extra mile and not just do something because it's easy and only take 2 seconds as appose to 5 minutes. If you cannot spare 5 minutes out of your day then something should change.
So my son will not have parents who will lie for him just to have his own access to a world he is not prepared for. Why rush your child into a situation they aren't prepared for or put them in unnecessary danger when they will have plenty of opportunity the older they get? If you have an account for your child that is under the age of 13 that's your choice and a personal decision but for me and my household we want our child to know that there are rules in place for a reason and sometimes we may not like it but it's life. I know there are rules as an adult I could live without but we still have to follow them regardless of our feelings towards them.
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