Wake up, parents

Yesterday, I was scrolling through Facebook when I saw that my daughter and a friend of hers had posted about a false Instagram account someone had started to say cruel and untrue things about certain kids who go to their school.

It took me a minute to find the Instagram app on my cell phone. I have an Instagram account, but I don't really use it. The app is mainly on my phone because Charlie has an account that he posts to using my phone sometimes.

Once I found the app, it took me another minute or two to find the offensive account. I was really sickened when I did. How could someone think it's funny or even remotely okay to say terrible, malicious things about someone else? Worse, the account was falsely ID'd as being owned by another student.

I blocked the user. But that was all I knew to do. I figured there was probably a way to forward the offensive material to Instagram for further action, but I didn't know how. Why? Because I've always fallen on the excuse, "I don't do Instagram."

What a crock of crap. Please, listen up, parents. If your kids are on social media, you better be on social media too. If they are on Facebook, get an account. Have their passwords. Log in under their accounts from time to time. Randomly post comments on their stuff, just so they know you are aware.

If they are on Instagram, be there. Yes, I had an account, but not a presence. You can bet I will now. The same for Twitter. And sorry, Annie, but I'll be signing up for Tumblr, too.

It's a lot to manage, so tag team it. Let your friends know where your kids hang out on social media and ask them to keep an eye out. I hope that if someone see my kids posting inappropriate or troubling statuses, one of my friends who sees it will let me know.

I'm keeping an eye on this Instagram bullying mess going on and I keep thinking to myself, "His (or her) parents would probably be devastated if they knew this was happening." And then I wonder to myself if they have any clue? I want to tell every parent to sit down with their kids' phones, laptops and tablets and walk through the activity of the past day or two.

Maybe the person who is responsible for all of this would be found? Maybe a parent would find that his or her child has been a target of the bullying. I would want to know that as much as I'd want to know what kind of stuff my child has been posting. What if someone posted some awful untruths about my beautiful child and I didn't know. Would she come to me? Or would she suffer in silence?

Should our kids expect some measure of privacy in their social media interactions? I suppose. But sometimes, a parent has to sacrifice some privacy in the best interests of the child.

This whole series of events has made me angry. And ill. At the same time, the fact that so many students have rallied behind the people who have been singled out makes me proud. And hopeful.

But above all, this situation has made me aware. Awake. If you are a parent, I hope you wake up too.

Well hello, Mrs. 4444s

It's been a crazy long time since I've done a Friday Fragments post for Mrs. 4444s weekly party. But I'm feeling fragmentish, so I thought it was high time I play along.

We're three days into Lent and I'm feeling the challenge. I gave up Diet Coke, which has been surprisingly easy. But I also gave up Facebook and my words games on Thursdays. I felt like I was being called to give up Facebook entirely for Lent, but I was going kicking and screaming. So I talked it over with a friend and came up with the concept of "Holy Thursdays." It's a day when I step back from all the "noise" and try to be more mindful of God at work in my life. Yesterday was hard -- but with some benefit. I was actually ready for work 20 minutes early because I didn't sit on the couch and nose around Facebook first.

Thanks for all the positive comments about my "Fat Tuesday" post. I wish I could just jump in and make a bunch of big changes at once. But that seems overwhelming. So I'm taking small steps. We'll see how it goes.

Do any of you have a kid that complains about being bullied? How do you decide if it's really bullying or just a sensitive kid? I want to be responsive, but I also don't want to be coddling. Would love some wisdom here.

Winter has arrived -- at least temporarily. It's cold here (in the 30s) and very blustery. And I was just getting used to not wearing my coat again.

No coats necessary for the awesome trip being given away by Eversave. I don't get anything for telling you about it, but why wouldn't I want to share the chance to win a 6-day vacation in Todos Santos, Mexico? (Well, because I want to win it for myself!) But, I'm sharing anyway. Isn't that nice of me? So nice that I'm sure if you win, you'll want to take me as your guest. Enter by clicking the image to the right. (In case that doesn't work, you can click here too.)

If you are the praying type, I would love some prayers toward two special intentions, that I am able to hear -- and trust -- God's voice in two situations.

Thanks, friends. Hope you have a great weekend. Please stop by Mrs. 4444s place for some more Friday Fragments.

Do NOT mess with my kid.

As most mothers have, I've felt the Mama Bear instinct rise up in me when I sense that my child has been wronged or slighted in some way. I've talked about it here and here. But in both those instances, I was contemplating the ways other adults were treating my children.

Today, I found out that some kids have been picking on Charlie. Actually, the one kid I knew about. I spoke about her to the teacher last semester. The teacher talked to the student and things seemed to get better for a while. But just recently, Charlie's been worrying at home about being made fun of by these kids.

Then this afternoon I got an e-mail from the school counselor telling me that Charlie had come to talk to her regarding these kids and some other worries he's been having. Because I had a meeting at school anyway (different kid, different issue), I stopped by the counselor's office to get more information. That's when she told me that these three have had issues for much of the school year. They seem to pick a kid, gang up on him or her, and make fun of him.

After I left the counselor's office, I saw one of the hoodlums, er, I mean kids, in the hallway. Rage boiled up inside me and it was about at this point that I wished we were still in 1974, when Mike was in preschool.

Some kid kept biting Mike and his mom had just had it. So one morning when she dropped Mike off, she walked over to the kid and -- as legend has it -- grabbed him by the collar, got eye to eye with him and said to this preschooler, "If you ever bite my son Mike again, I will beat the living shit out of you." Problem solved. Kid never touched Mike again.

Oh, I so wish that I could do the same thing. Unfortunately, I'd probably be charged with intimidation or some other crime that would land me on the front page of the newspaper.

So I'm left with the mature and Christian options of talking to the kids' parents, letting the school try to intervene and provide corrective action, and, if all else fails, teach Charlie how to throw a fast and mighty left hook.