Do You Have A Good Rep?

How often do you have a ‘Did I say that or think that?’ moment?

I have them often. But I also find my keys in the fridge all the time. I sometimes wake in the night and analyse a sentence I uttered to someone during the day, or posted on Facebook, and turn it over and inside out and worry about saying something dumb or unintentionally mean.

Little kids never worry about stating the truth or over sharing. They just tell it like it is and we get to hear, blow by blow, everything that is running through their minds. I call it the Wall Of Sound.

Then they get a bit older and have their own secrets and private thoughts and we don’t hear as much. And we miss it. Then they start posting these private thoughts and ideas to friends on social media instead of telling us - and this is where things can get tricky.

Have you ever even thought about your ‘social reputation’? Well, it’s a thing, and this thing is going to be very important to our kids. Everything they write, post and like online is apparently there forever. It will follow them around like a little yappy dog FOREVER.

If they post a slightly racy photo, 10 years later their future employer could easily find this photo and judge them immediately. If they insult someone on a public forum, this slur could also be dragged up from the bottom of their online swamp and be used against them in the future. 

Isn’t that terrifying? 

We can even be to blame. Think about the nude photo of your baby sucking on the toilet brush, which received 300 likes. Now propel yourself forward 20 years and that photo could be seen by the cute girl on the bus before your now not-so-baby could even ask her out! 
Your kid will not appreciate your candid moment and may never speak to you again.

So what do we do?

First, don’t panic. That girl may think it’s a cute photo and will understand that a lot of vigorous tooth brushing has happened since that incident. 

We also need to teach our kids good online etiquette from a young age, and practice it ourselves. Whatever happens online, stays online. Think before you post. Imagine your mum, your boss, your best friend and your worst enemy (does anyone have an enemy? Or a nemesis? I wish I did.), were all reading what you are posting right now in 5 years time. Would you still write it?

We should also remember to be kind above anything else and not to use social media to vent our frustration about other people, or to mock them. Go to a boxing class and punch a bag instead. (I meant a punching bag, you meanie.)

Lastly we need to teach our kids to guard their privacy like the Lannisters guard the throne. Create elaborate passwords, change them often, don’t reveal too much information in your profile and check your privacy settings.

The most important thing, of course, is to have open communication with your kids so that you can talk about what’s happening with them. Even with the best plans in place, we all make mistakes and you need to be the person they go to for help and comfort.

Source : parents[dot]nickjr[dot]com[dot]au