Mom’s on Facebook and other problems
The first time (and the second and third) time I heard Anita Renfroe sing what I refer to as The Mom Song, I laughed until I cried. She sings it to the tune of the William Tell Overture and how she has enough air in her to say so much so quickly is beyond me. If you have never heard it and you have three or four minutes, go to her web site at http://www.anitarenfroe.com/index.htm and click on What’s New. The video clip of her singing the song will play.
If you don’t have three or four minutes I’ll sum it up for you by saying that it’s basically everything a mom says during the course of the day (and moms say a lot!) My personal favorite part of the song (probably because my kids are older) is the part where she tells them to stop rolling their eyes at her and that their insolence comes from their father’s DNA (Sorry guys but it’s easier to blame on you!)
Another funny video (but raunchier) is one that was posted on U-Tube on November 30th and is fast on it’s way to becoming a favorite is one called My Mom’s on Facebook by The Outside Joke. The 20 to 30 something guy singing is lamenting the fact that he “friended” his mom and now she won’t stop poking him (Facebook language). It shows a PG version of what he used to put on Facebook and can no longer post because his mom is constantly watching. The lady who plays the mom sends him posts reminding him to “clean his room, eat his veggies, etc.” The guy sums it up when he laments, “My life was so much easier when she couldn’t turn her laptop on.” At the end of the video the mom takes away his guitar and is playing it herself, rocking and rolling and having a blast.
While I certainly don’t condone or approve of the young man’s “life of debauchery” as he describes it, I do find the video funny for several reasons. First, my kids still aren’t sure how to handle their mom being on Facebook. I have four boys and one girl who range in ages from 28 to 17. The only one I am friends with is my daughter, who is married and beyond the “I don’t want you snooping in my life stage.” The oldest son isn’t on Facebook and could care less if I’m on. But son number two, well he’s a different story. The other night I was on Facebook and saw that he had “friended” one of my friends! I immediately sent him an invitation to be my friend, after all if he is going to be friends with my friend, shouldn’t he be my friend too? If all this friend business makes you dizzy, just chalk it up to social networking talk and move on.
When I didn’t hear back from him I didn’t worry about it too much. Last night he came home and after we’d talked awhile he said, “Mom, you do know I’m not going to be your friend, don’t you?”
“But your my friend’s friend,” I teased.
“Yeah, but that’s not the same thing and she’s friends with lots of kids my age,” he said.
“I’m deeply wounded.”
“Would you feel better if I de-friended her?” he asked.
“No, it’s okay,” I said, faking a sniffle and tears.
If I really wanted to see his information all I have to do is go to my friends house or wait till she comes over and let her log in on my computer. But the truth is….I don’t care.I know there are some women who will read this and say, “My children are my friends. They would never post anything on Facebook that they wouldn’t want me to see.” That’s great. If it works for you, I’m cool with that. But that’s not the way it is at my house.
Until they are grown I’m the mom and I still have to say all the things Anita Renfroe says in her Mom Song to them. I can be friendly with my boys, I don’t have to be their friend.
Someday I will be…but not yet.
