J. J. Cannon

It seems more and more parents are taking to social media to punish and publicly shame their kids. I am perplexed (and saddened) by the absurdity of this, and speak from personal experience when I tell you it is indeed harmful.

Thanks to technology and parents who seem to be unable or unwilling to simmer down and parent private-like– on the quiet tip, we’re seeing it all.  Social media provides us with a comfortably detached, ring-side view of bad behavior highlighted by bad behavior.  We see everything from kids standing on busy street corners wearing giant sandwich boards declaring their wrong doings, video of Dad shooting up a laptop as a dramatic last resort, Mom selling bratty daughter’s Katy Perry concert tix and, most recently, the disturbing video of the severe beating of a twelve year old girl by her mother.

To be clear – I am not saying that kids don’t deserve to be punished.  We don’t know the full stories behind these incidents because we weren’t there.  All we know is what is being shared.

Perception is reality.

In my book, one of the most important of the #SweetSixteen aka #Rules is #BeKind.  It reads in part:

“Knowing what to do if you see hateful or humiliating comments can be complicated…  Today it is virtually impossible to escape cruel or humiliating messages that never go away.  Once your words have been seen, they cannot be unseen.  Go to your parent or other trusted adult…”

What are kids supposed to do when the people humiliating them are their parents?  The very people who are supposed to be providing any level of guidance are now acting as immature as their children.  It appears the parents in these situations are in search of some sort of  twisted, attention getting notoriety, cool points, etc.

It’s no surprise kids can’t handle the complications of social media when we see the examples many parents are setting. Are you connected with your kids on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, etc. with the intention of keeping an eye on them?  Don’t forget, they’re watching you too.

Have a question or sticky social situation?  Ask J. J.

Thanks for stopping by,

xo Jen