Mama Moment: To (F)Be or not to (F)Be

As of the moment, I only know personally, two people who do not have an FB account.  Needless to say, FB is the biggest social media network today.  Even my 10 year old boy has been asking to get an account since he was 9.  And of course, the evil mother says NO!  He'd say..."Everyone in class has an account already Mom!"  And I would always reply that each family/home has their own set of rules.  And in our home, 10 year olds are not allowed to get an FB account.  I think he got tired of asking and figured out that he'll never win anyway, so he stopped. (I'm hoping he'll forget about it altogether, even when he's 13 already!) 

I do realize the advantages of keeping an FB account, but not for the children under 13.  No offense meant to other parents who have allowed their children to get an account.  This is just my personal opinion and conviction.  There is a minimum age requirement (13 yo) to get an account, so we as parents are responsible in making our kids understand this policy.  

I realized that saying no to FB is actually a simple way of teaching our children:

HONESTY (telling your real age when you sign-in for an account), 

OBEDIENCE (following the rules and recognizing authority; there is a minimum age requirement for a reason, right?), 

DELAYED GRATIFICATION and SELF CONTROL (Isn't it sweeter when you get something that you really like, at the right time?  Never mind if everyone else got ahead of you.)

CREATIVITY (Yes!  Time spent away from the computer means more chances of time spent on books, crafts and the outdoors!  And maybe the lost art of letter writing will be revived, instead of sending e-cards and FB wall greetings!)

Of course, I am not saying that a child who got an FB before 13 does not possess the values I mentioned above.  It's just that when kids are young, it's either black or white, gray can sometimes lead to confusion.

So there, co-parents, what do you think?  Am I being bad or unreasonable as a mom?  In this tough world of parenting, we just have to be very vigilant in guarding and practicing our values and beliefs and be ready to stand by it...even when everybody else is doing otherwise.  My apologies if this post sounds too preachy but I just felt a strong urge to share with you my stand on FB for young children.     So, to (F)B or not to (F)B..that is the question!

I would love to hear your thoughts!