Out of the mouths of babes....

As my husband and I were busy knocking balls around yet another golf course yesterday, our daughter was busy back at the ranch (our rented condo) sleeping in, reading, watching TV and trying to work on her computer (she writes poetry and is currently creating a video) when apparently the wireless Internet started misbehaving.  This bad Internet behaviour started to occur when she was in a moment of creative genius I am told and she was not a happy camper.  She chose to express her anger in a status sentence on her Face book wall.

Without any concern for the potential fall-out, she used the "F" word, as in "My Internet is all f'd up."  At the time I am sure it felt good to get out some of her frustration, but that word coming from a 14 year old for all her Face book friends to see, was something she did not stop and think about in her moment of spontaneous spewing.  You see, I am one of those friends, as is the mother of another of her friends, as is my best friend, as is my nephew, my niece and so on and so on.  There is something a little shocking hearing (or in this case, reading) that word coming out of the mouth of what was once your innocent child.

Now, I am not naive enough to think she has never said this word, in fact I know she has - I have even allowed it from time to time.  Believe it or not, she has actually asked me if she can say it out loud when she has been describing something that required the word to be repeated. (some stories just don't come out right unless you use the word as it was used).  I myself have been known to use the word for effect from time to time (rarely in front of her - except the time some guy nearly got us killed in the car "you F-ing Idiot" I may have said).  But for the most part, I have been a clean-mouthed mother around her. My husband had a tendency to slip-up more and she had a cuss-box in her room that he had to pay a loonie into whenever he slipped.

(that may explain her healthy bank account). The kid has amazingly good ears, even when wearing headphones.  Go figure.

But for some reason, seeing the word in print on her Face book wall just went a little too far.   It stole a piece of her innocence.  Saying a word and putting it in print are two entirely different things.  The spoken word drifts off the tongue and disappears into thin air, while the written word remains in place, etched in the journals of life forever, unless burned, or rubbed out, or in this case, deleted.  We had a lengthy discussion last night about the need to be careful how one expresses themselves  on line.  She also has a tendency to wear her heart on her sleeve (I had to explain what that meant to her) and she posts her feelings of teen angst on her wall sometimes too.  I warned her to be careful with that, telling her not everyone could be trusted to respect her tender heartfelt emotions.  I think (hope) she got the picture after we were through with our talk. 

 The good news is that unless she removes me from her friend list, I will be able to keep tabs on her musings, not to mention, so will a few others in my camp.  In a way, it's a little like snooping in her room, the difference being, I was invited.

Thank god for small miracles.