Can Facebook make you a better parent? How to use technology to be a better mommy!

So... Yesterday my two oldest kids were with their father for a few hours after school. I took advantage of being "down" two kids and took the remaining two to the grocery store. About an hour after school was out and halfway through the store, I got a call from my daughter (G) on her fathers' girlfriends' (M) cell phone. She wanted to know if it was all right if she watched the movie "17 Again" with Zak Effron. The movie is rated PG-13 and she is nine. I would have thought that would have been enough information for a "no", but it is not at their house so I had to do some checking. M told G she didn't think it would be a problem since it just had some kissing and swearing in it. Now, don't get me wrong, I adore M and consider her a friend, but we have very different parenting styles so I knew we probably were not going to see eye to eye on this issue. I told G she had to give me a minute to do some research and I would get back with her.


I immediately sent a text message to a friend of mine that has a daughter the same age as G. I asked her if she had let her daughter watch the movie when it came out. Unfortunately, she hadn't even heard of the movie, so I was out of luck on that end, but it had only taken me about 2 minutes to find out. Next step: the internet! I pulled up Google on my Blackberry, and typed in Dove Family Film Reviews. Jackpot!!

I quickly typed in "17 Again" and this is what I saw:     NOT DOVE FAMILY- APPROVED

http://www.dove.org/reviewpopup.asp?Unique_ID=7834 .

Well, I'm not some puppet for any foundation, and I have disagreed with them on some flicks (Harry Potter, for one), so I read why they had not approved it.

"Couples kiss including young couple; teen boy puts pressure on girl to sleep with him; talk about sex and protection in high school class; a high school basketball star gets girlfriend pregnant and then marries her; a comment about a four hour erection; implied sex outside of marriage between a couple who are seen waking up together."

That was enough for me! She's only nine, for Pete’s sake! So in about 5 minutes, I was able to determine if this movie was appropriate for my daughter all from the parking lot of the grocery store! Isn't technology great??!!

All that was left was to call my daughter back and tell her the "bad" news. She took it very well, and I must admit that I believe it was because M does a good job of backing me up and letting the kids know she respects my decisions.


So all of this got me thinking..."How else do I use technology to be a better parent?"

I use text messaging to keep in touch with my kids when they are with their father or are home alone. I use the internet to research recipes to find healthy, new ways to cook the same old staples I buy every month. I use The Dove Foundation site a lot these days. When money was not as tight, I would preview the movies myself. However, these days, I can't afford to watch the movie to decide if it's ok for them and then take the kids, too!

Facebook helps me keep in touch with other parents to stay on top of what "new" things are going around that our kids might be into and helps keep me in the "know" about what's hip and what's not. Lastly, I'm very strict about my kids’ use of the internet so they are only allowed to get on when we are supervising. That's the best way that technology helps make me a better mom, when we are "surfing" together...laughing, talking, and showing each other what we've found...it's great fun and brings us closer. :)