8 things parents of teens should never do on Facebook

Most teenagers have come to terms with the fact their parents are now on Facebook, but many would prefer they were not.  Social media sites like MySpace and Facebook originally gave young people a cyber hangout of their own, and now the adults are taking over.

Being parents, it is our inherent nature to ruin things for our teens.  Or is it?  I say parents and teens can co-exist on Facebook with a few ground rules (on both sides) and still maintain a good relationship with quality communication.

I'll pick on the grown-ups first.  After all, we SHOULD know better, but most of the time we've forgotten what it was like to be 14.  So here we go - the 8 things parents of teenagers should never do on Facebook:

1.  Stalk your child.  There's a lot to be said for making sure your child is safe on the internet, but that doesn't mean you need to read every single post on your teen's wall.  And even more so, you don't need to comment on and/or "like" everything they post.

2.  Stalk your child's friends.  Commenting on your teen's friend's status will either make you look like a dork or a creeper.  Take your pick.  Plus, it's just uber embarrassing to your kid.  Don't do it.

3.  Post pictures or stories about your teen without their permission, even if you think they are funny.  I can almost guarantee you, your son or daughter will be unamused.

4.  Criticize people and/or be generally negative.  This makes you look petty and is a general turnoff to anyone on Facebook.

5.  Embarrass yourself.  You may think that video of you dancing at your niece's wedding is hilarious, but the rest of the family has just told everyone to block you.

6.  Post when you're angry or upset.  This is just good advice for anyone on Facebook.  You will most likely regret it later, so wait until you are calm to share your frustrations with the world.

7.  Use street lingo.  "Why you always be talkin' ghetto?  Get yo'self a propa' e-ju-ma-kay-shun!"  Seriously, you are not ghetto, punk or crunk.  You're a middle-aged man or woman from the suburbs.  Deal with it.

8.  Type in all caps.  This is considering shouting.   Shouting is rude.

By the way, I can honestly say (and my kids will agree), I've been guilty of some of these things.  I've learned the hard way, so I'm hoping to spare you some pain.  So rock on, my homies!  (Oops.  I still have a lot to learn, I guess.)