Peace of Mind -or- A Piece of My Mind

Today's "Big Discussion" in our house...

Teen: "Mom, A.'s mom is probably going to call you today."
I say: "What for?"
I'm thinking: "Now what have these girls gotten into?"
Teen: "Well, she found out that A. has a MySpace page and she's all freaked out. And she saw that we all have one, too."
I say: I thought we talked about this a while back and I said NO."
I'm thinking: I'm going to strangle my kid... Her mom must have freaked out because of all the cyber-stalker stuff we're hearing about on the news.
Teen: "Yeah, but I didn't tell you that I already had it then."
I say: "Why not? Why did you hide that from me?"
I'm thinking: Bad Mommy. I should've asked different questions when we had the last discussion. I should've known.
Teen: "Mom, I'm not putting pictures on it. I took them down. A.'s mom was mad because she had pictures on hers."
I say: "I can't believe you hid that from me. That you'd lie about that. Your not using your real name or anything are you?"
I'm thinking: You're going to have dish duty until you're permanently pruned.
Teen: "No, Mom. We talked about that. I wouldn't do that. Do you want to see it?"
I say: "Yes."
I'm thinking: I'm having a hard time figuring out what you would and wouldn't do, lately.

We looked at it together. I pointed out that she shouldn't be filling out those Memes that ask things like the city/state where she was born. She deleted it.

We read the "Safety Tips" together. I asked if she understood them, she did. I asked her to write down her username and password for me.

When it was all done, I'd decided to let her keep her page. Was it the right decision? I don't know. I don't feel bad about it. I don't feel like she won or I gave in. We are both definitely wiser for it. And that ain't bad.

By the time a teen gets to be almost driving-age, some parents think there isn't too much more we can teach them... and if we tried, they probably wouldn't listen, and turn up their music. (And sometimes she does)Today, I taught her how to read the fine print.

I learned something, too... sometimes I freak-out less than the next mommy. And it's good for Mommies to stick together. I guess I'd better call A.'s mom tomorrow.

Here's links you can check out to aid you in your own quest for Peace of Mind and family education:
WiredKids is for and about kids online safety.
BlogSafety.com as the name says for teens - and parents, too.
SafeKids.com
McGruff the Crime Dog has an internet safety page for kids

G'Night, John-Boy,
The Happy Medium