One Friend Request

I logged into my facebook over the break to find out I had one very interesting friend request, my aunt Nancy.  Now don't me wrong, my aunt is fairly cool, but the idea of letting someone who talks to my mother regularly look through my facebook is another story.  Its not that I have anything to hide, I'm in college, what I have on facebook is nothing I am particularly ashamed of, but for some reason, deciding whether or not to accept the request was more difficult than usual.  From my perspective, I see my facebook as something that all my friends can relate to, pictures from the nights before, out on halloween and what not, but generally speaking, my facebook isn't loaded with pictures of me doing homework or studying in the library.  I understand that all adults were in college at some point in their lives too, but regardless, it is still hard to accept the fact that my aunt is seeing me in a different light, and instead of blowing out candles at my 10th birthday, I am now at parties surrounded by drunk kids and girls in tight dresses.  I love my aunt, and I would love to be her friend, but I also feared that she would judge me on my pictures, and not on how she has known me my whole life.  

This seems to be a growing trend amongst the "older" generation.  My friends parents are now adding me on facebook along with my co-workers as well as my family.  I think there are two parts to my hesitation, trust, and image.  I first need to trust that my aunt and friend's parents will understand that at college, things are different.  I would hope that they understand I am not a bad person for drinking underage, but rather participating in what some would call "the college life".  Also, I need to trust that my aunt won't snoop through my facebook page trying to dig up some dirt to gossip with my mom about (trust me, this is my mom's second job).  On top of trust, I need to accept that facebook, however amazing and magical it may be, sadly, has flaws.  Like I mentioned, my page lacks pictures of me studying, watching movies, eating in the dining hall or drinking coffee with a professor, but it does show that I am enjoying college. I'm not going to lie that I drink, but I also need to prove (with my grades) that I am capable of balancing a strong academic course load with a fun and stress relieving social life.  Whatever it may be, facebook and I clearly have some problems that we need to work out.  

Just to let you know, I did add my aunt Nancy, as well as my friends mom, my neighbor and even my little sister.  I guess writing about image and reality has become a way of answering my own inner-struggles.  Luckily, adding an aunt on facebook isn't life changing, but I have realized that the little things in life, just like the big ones, are important in sculpting who I have become and who I will be in the future.  Thank you.

Tweens Gone Wild

Look at this picture and analyze it. 

What do you see?

I was looking through the infamous Facebook and "creeping" on my little sister's page when I came across this picture of her and some friends playing Beer Pong in my garage.  I first saw this image and thought, "Hmm, I wonder how they got the beer.....?", and then I realized what I just asked myself- What the hell is my fourteen year old sister doing playing root in my garage with her other freshman friends.  I know high school is a time when kids begin to experiment, I had my first drink freshman year too, but something about this public display on Facebook made me so angry.  It made me sad to see my angelic little sister doing something that I know would jeopardize her standing at the private school she attends. I also was ashamed that my little sister was doing things I never did when I was her age, but upon reflection, I began to blame myself.  I always played drinking games with my friends around her, I let her hang out with us, join in the fun, but I never thought that what I was doing would set a bad example for her. I called my mom; not to tell on her, but to explain my frustration.  I asked her if she was home that night, and she said yes- which shocked me. (Was my mom letting kids drink in our house? Were they doing it while she was home?)  I then asked what Becca and her friends were doing, and she explained they were playing games and dancing and making s'mores and that she came up with the cutest idea...... ROOT-beer pong.  

Pictures lie.  A photo may reveal some truth, but out of context, becomes a lie.  The picture looks like students playing beer pong.  Some who have a good eye for age would know these students are freshman in high school and clearly should not be playing a drinking game.  But what I didn't realize, because the photo doesn't allow it, is that the cups were filled with root-beer.  My mom, although potentially training younger students in the art of college "athletics", was being responsible, and judging that a group of kids together would be tempted to drink, decided to play into their desire by making a clever twist.  I end with another famous quote from my mom "I invented Thumper, you would pass out playing against me."