Why Women in their 40's Love Facebook (or, "Why So Many in Their Teens and Twenties Are Ticked to Have Their Moms On Their Social Networking Site")

In 2009, at the urging of a member of my grad school cohort, I joined Facebook. On my profile it says that I joined, "...to make my daughters laugh, and hope they will be my friend." Suffice it to say, my daughters did not laugh. They groaned. They complained. It was like having them back in the house as teenagers. My eldest, a UVA alum, once again went on and on about how Facebook originally was just Harvard and then expanded to UVA - like there is some sort of right of primogentiture to being able to network on Face book. I was invading their lives and privacy, apparently, through participating in an online forum.

Since joining Facebook, however, I have discovered advantages far beyond what I originally expected. Since I am a woman in my 40's, and in my conversations with my peers who are on Facebook we all seem to have similar motivations, I have some ideas about why women in their 40's like Facebook. In a non-prioritized list, here they are!

1) I have connected with family members who live in a vast array of locations. I find out what is happening with their families, learn interesting things about their lives, share some of their fun, and feel I know them a little better. For someone with 37 first cousins (plus their spouses and children), this is a godsend!

2)I have connected with friends from high school, college, and prior work environments. Like in #1 above, I find out where they are, what they are doing, etc. This is useful in all sorts of networking, and helps me in reclaiming my past.

3) I enjoy some of the little quizes and other funny things you can do on Facebook. So, it serves as a source of entertainment.

4) I am able to open, contribute to, or maintain a dialogue on a variety of issues with interesting people (i.e., my "Friends") and enjoy the connectedness and intellectual stimulation.

5) Comments from my "Friends" often make me laugh, and often give me support. Believe it or not, I thrive on the words of encouragement and affirmation I get. I know that they are sincere and they can really make my day.

So, kids, ease up on your moms (and grandparents, aunts & uncles, former teachers and much youger siblings)! As part of this web-based community, we are all attempting to reach out to each other - including you! Our true purpose on this earth is relationship and resulting good from these relationships. Facebook merely give us another venue to achieve this purpose.

The Verizon Center as the new "wild west"?

First, please note the question mark at the end of this post's title.

Second, I'm not really sure where to begin. So, news outlets reported that Gilbert Arenas of the Wizards was in a spot of trouble for having guns in his locker at the Center. Apparently, he felt that with a new baby in the house, he did not feel comfortable having them there. That was bizarre to me. After all, Arenas already had three kids before this baby arrived home. Did he not care about their safety? Did one of those toddlers make a threat against the new baby? (Hey, it could happen - sibling rivalry is an intense thing. I speak from experience as the middle child of five.)

Third, today I read that Arenas pulled a gun on a fellow player (Crittenton) who was upset with Mr. A. about an unpaid gambling debt. This was reported to occur on Dec. 24, the same day that Arenas was cited for having the weapons in violation of league, team and Center policy (and, presumably, DC law). Arenas then tweeted glibly about the incident.

Of course, this is not the first time that firearms have been a challenge for Mr. Arenas. He had to sit out some games for not having his guns properly registered in California. But pulling a gun on a teammate in the locker room? Really? As the director of the player's union said (I am paraphrasing), "this is unprecendented."

So, what do the Wizards do now? How do you build a team with guys who pull guns on each other in the locker room? That seems to be rather excessive, even in the colorful world of the NBA.

Actually, this may help cement my decision to not give a darn about professional basketball. I've always loved college ball, but have found little redeeming in the play of superstars who win games by fouling hard in a sport that was not supposed to be a contact activity. Not that I don't admire their skill - I just admire it more when played at the level where finesse is emphasized over brute force. As for Mr. Arenas, I'm just not buying what you are selling anymore.