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- How to Engage Your Grandkids on Facebook
- Responding to Your Grandkids' Posts
- Five Things Not to Do with Your Grandkids on Facebook
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This chapter is from the book
This chapter is from the book
This chapter is from the book
This chapter is from the book
Five Things Not to Do with Your Grandkids on Facebook
Facebook can be a wonderful way to keep in touch with your grandchildren, but only if you avoid some common missteps.
Don’t Do These Things
With that in mind, here are some important things not to do when posting and responding to your grandkids.
- Don’t friend your grandkids’ friends. Your grandkids like to keep their friends and family separate, so a family member getting friendly with one of their peers is a big social no-no. Resist the urge to send a friend request to one of your grandchildren’s Facebook friends. It’s okay for you to accept a friend request if one of her friends invites you, but it’s not okay for you initiate the contact. In general, you should keep your circle of friends to your friends and immediate family, not to your grandchildren’s friends.
- Don’t post unflattering photos of your grandkids. Family photos that you think are funny might not seem so funny to your grandkids—especially when their friends see them. The problem comes if you upload an embarrassing photo to Facebook and tag a grandchild in it. Thus tagged, all her Facebook friends will see the photo, with the resulting mortification. Think twice before you post those “cute” photos of your grandkids, especially as they get older. And if you must post the photos, don’t tag your grandchildren by name. If they’re not tagged, their friends probably won’t see the photos—which is best for all concerned.
- Don’t use your grandchild’s photo as your profile picture. I know you’re really proud of your grandkids, but you shouldn’t appropriate their photos as your own. Many grandparents use photos of their grandkids as their own profile pictures, or as the cover images on their Timeline pages. That’s not fair to your grandkids—and, to be fair, looks kind of weird. Post your own photo as your profile picture, and be done with it.
- Don’t post too much personal information. Facebook is a great forum for keeping friends and family up-to-date on what’s happening in your life, but that doesn’t mean you need to post every little detail about what’s happening. Your grandkids, especially, will be embarrassed or even grossed out if you post all the fiddly details about your latest medical exam or (God forbid) romantic interlude. There’s just some stuff that kids don’t want to know, and you need to know that.
- Don’t try to be cool. I know, you want to fit in with the young generation today, but let’s face it—you’re not that young, and you’re not that cool. Don’t embarrass yourself by trying to use today’s hip lingo, or even common Facebook abbreviations, such as LOL (laughing out loud). No matter how hip you think you might be, you’ll still come off as an old fogey trying to act younger than you really are. Bottom line, when you’re posting on Facebook, act your age. You’ve earned the privilege.
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