Parenting by Facebook

This afternoon I was amused by an exchange between my teenage cousin and her mom:

C* is bored.
Mom: Do your homework then!
C: its 2 problems...that i dont get. so can u help me..later?
Mom: Have you tried to work on them at all? If you have tried to work them, then I will help you when I get home.

It sounds typical, except it was on Facebook.

Social networking is connecting people across the globe. On my Facebook I have over 470 friends. I follow their updates, keep up with old friends, and meet people with similar interests.

My family is spread across the country, so Facebook is a way for us to share pictures and updates. Even with neighbors, posting messages via Facebook is fun. Reading this conversation between my aunt and cousin made me laugh.

They have a relationship. My aunt and cousin actually do talk (as much as any mother and teenage daughter). They have sports, church and family meals. So Facebook is not her primary parenting tool.

It is funny that posting to an online profile was the easiest way to parent at the time.