I’m loving this YouTube video asking two kids “Are your parents on Facebook?” Absolutely LOVE the second guy. Talking about his mother: “She also has a Twitter. I don’t have a Twitter. Which makes me even more embarrassed.” I probably embarrass my children endlessly. But they’ll get over it.

Here’s the deal parents: drop the excuses and fear. Just get onto Facebook and try it out. If it makes you feel better, tell your kids they have to friend you if they want to keep using Facebook.

But in return, you must promise not to post on their Wall. If you want to communicate with them, send them private messages or IM them. You are embarrassing enough without saying cringing things on your Walls. So just don’t do it.

I am friends with my teenage children on Facebook. “Friends” I should say. In real life I am their Mother. A totally different kettle of fish.

Yes, I am worried about just how much time they spend on there. And yes, I do hope they understand that a “friend” on Facebook is a totally different thing than a “friend” in real life.

The content on Facebook is, in the vast majority, harmless. And social networking online represents an inevitable tsunami of change. Get in there and help them sort it out.

Here’s another tip: use OpenDNS in your house if, during the week, your kids are clearly spending too much time chatting and hanging on Facebook and procrastinating about homework. Ouch, it hurts. Time on Facebook is a privilege, not a right. And as such, you should be able to take it away if you need to.