by Debbie Todd

Created on: January 08, 2010

I signed up for Facebook before either of my daughters did.  However, I hardly used it for the first year or so.  I did now and again do a quick search for people I had lost touch with over the years, with no luck and I used to visit the site every few weeks or so and was quite unimpressed with it.

However, all that changed when my youngest daughter left home and went to University hundreds of miles away.  On the first day when we dropped her there, it transpired that the landlord of the house where she rented a room was less than truthful when we had asked if the other tenants would be the same age as her.  When we arrived at the house, we discovered that all of the other tenants were third year students on the same course!  My daughter promptly burst into tears and I had real misgivings about leaving her there.  The other students in the house realised what was going on and came up to her room where my other daughter and I were trying to comfort her.  They helped to unload the car and befriended my daughter and I felt a lot easier when it came time to leave.  I was travelling there again the next day with her Dad to take the rest of her stuff anyway, so the situation was not as bad as it could have been.

I arrived home quite late that night and still had concerns when I went to bed.  However, when I got up the next morning, I booted up the PC and had a quick look at Facebook where I learned from her profile that she had had a brilliant night out with her new friends (so much so that she had been sick and was hungover!).  That instantly put my mind at rest and, later that day, her Dad and I found her to be settling in well when we arrived with the rest of her belongings.

During the next few weeks, I would rush home from work every lunchtime in order to log onto Facebook and check that she was well and enjoying herself.  I practically became her stalker!  I have calmed down a lot now, eighteen months later, as I am used to her being away.  But, during those first few months of worry, I'm pretty sure that, had it not been for Facebook, I would probably have moved to live half way between where I am now (near to my other daughter) and where my youngest is at University!  If not, I would probably have gone made with worry!

Another benefit I have experienced with Facebook, is that I have found friends that I have lost touch with over the years, especially those that have moved abroad.  One

• 1
• 2
• Next Page >>