February 20, 2013
A 16 Year Old's Take on Facebook
The other day, I visited a suburban small family farm run by a Christian man and his wife who are homeschooling their 4 children and raising them in a counter-cultural way--valuing hard work, committed to trying to make the world a healthier place, and knowing where their food comes from and what is in it.

As I spoke to this man (who has a Facebook page for the farm only, to promote the business and people's knowledge of healthy food), the topic of Facebook came up. When I told him I quit Facebook about a year ago and am amazed at what I've accomplished with the freed up time, he looked at the ground thoughtfully and laughed. He said, "My 16-year-old son had a Facebook account, but he shut it down not too long ago. I'm trying to remember what his exact words were for why he shut it down. ...Oh, yes...he said, 'Dad, I have a bunch of friends who I know in person and I really like them. But on Facebook, they're different people and sometimes on there I think they're just trying to convince me not to like them.'"

Smart boy. Stepping away from a popular fad in order to preserve his friends' characters--at least in his own mind--so he can continue to enjoy what IS likeable about them.


Nannette

Posted by Staff at 10:29 AM