Nearly Back To Facebook

I had a moment of temptation to return to Facebook today, when I learned that someone in my village had set up a fan page for my children, out of pure admiration. 6 people have signed up as fans of the page already today.

The sentiment behind the creation of this fan page is sweet, and flattering. I thought, for a second, that I really ought to go reactivate my Facebook account, so that I can be a fan of my children too.

But then, I realized, I already am a fan of my children, and they know it, and everyone who knows my family knows how much I love my kids. My kids know how much I love them because I tell them and work to create special moments for them as often as I can. My neighbors know I love my children when they see us out around town together.

I don’t need a Facebook page to prove that I love my kids. Furthermore, I don’t really need Facebook to track my children’s social network, and then sell that information to be used in commercial databases, or by the government.

I’m not saying this as a criticism of the person who created that page. If she wants to create a public celebration of my kids, I think that’s great, and I’m not the sort of anxious parent who believes that his children’s faces should never be seen except in extremely controlled situations.

But, do I need to begin my very un-private, un-secure relationship with Facebook again, just to list myself as a fan of my own children? No. I’ll keep my expressions of fandom in a place where data-mining for profit and for Big Brother isn’t so routine.