Mommy Blog Lines: Tal(k)ing Care

I feel reflective on this fall day, so I’m going to risk thinking about aging and parenting. Being the mom of young adults is really hard. In one way the job at hand is letting go and encouraging them to do more things alone. On the other, staying intimately (inextricably?) knit into their lives seems natural. You love them beyond reason. It’s even interesting to ponder whether you love them more than anyone else ever will. Of course, even if you’re the mom, you’re a separate person. If things work out for the very best, you are destined to die first. That thought puts my job as a mother into sharp relief–I cannot make my children too dependent on my love and care, because ultimately that’s no kindness. Maybe diving too deep into your young adult child’s life is a bit vampiric–to grab and live another life and lifetime. Their worries are like your old worries–life all over again! The balance? I struggle to remember to enjoy the shared time we get to have. So much for parents to

It’s been a while since we have posted… summer travels, family time and the need to unplug for a while kept us away. But, we’re back and know that our concerns about the right of children to privacy on line is an important issue, as noted by the Guardian in a recent article “Does sharing photos of your children on Facebook put them at risk?” A particular focus in the article and for us are the present and future concerns of the personal safety of children and the family. Also of concern are the future personal repercussions for children as they enter adulthood, post-secondary education, and the labour force. Furthermore, what may the posts by adults of their children on Facebook and blogs mean for their interpersonal relationships between children and those adults who have posted photos without permission and commented on the children’s photos and life experiences? While the internet and social media are here to stay, we must think and act carefully about how we expose those who