Spying on a Teen
Every once in a while, I like a reminder that I am not a certifible loon. Yesterday, as I was working on my computer, I kept hearing this pinging noise coming from it. I finally minimized the window I was working in to see that I was getting instant messages. But they weren't for me - they were for my stepson. I answered one with "Are you looking for Oliver?" It was a gal friend of his who I know, so I told her he was at his mom's.
photo credit: Kris Cohen
The pings kept coming. I saw in the iChat menu that he had 10 friends wanting to talk - four boys and six girls. I won't say I wasn't curious. Since he's a typical 9th grade boy and shares next to nothing about his life, the idea of one of those awful psycho moms who pretends to be the kid in order to get info flashed through my head. The thought passed quickly as I "quit" iChat (yeah, it took me a while to figure that out) and emailed Oliver that folks were wanting to gab.
I told him I had thought better of playing mom-spy. "Ha ha," he wrote. "I know moms like that. They are weird."
That was the nicest thing he's ever said to me! I'm not weird! At least, that's how I am deciding to take it.
Good for you!
Wow! What self control!
What a great way to help him feel trusted. I have a 9th- grader too and getting him to communicate anything is next to impossible.
And while I haven't chatted w/ his friends, I am not above peeking into his emails, now and then.
Thanks Stephanie, I appreciate that. I wonder if I might have been more intrusive if it was Viv at 14.