Oops Did I Sent That To Everybody

This morning at 7:30 my phone beeped indicating that I had a text. When I looked at it I had received a message from my stepson letting me know that he had to text me to let me know that he could not stop thinking about me.

After first being flattered I realized the message was not for me but for the young lady he had gone to the movies with the night before.

Early this week news broke of a Maine educator had posted what he thought was a picture of himself for his girlfriend to see. The picture was not one he would want the public to see and he posted it accidentally for the public to see. He has since resigned his position and his life is changed forever.

Last year Congressman Anthony Weiner lost his seat after he inadvertantly sent a picture to the wrong people.

Most of us have probably sent an email before we meant to or perhaps a text to the wrong person as my son did.

This is usually considered worth a chuckle or funny by those of us viewing it. It is far from funny however to the person who loses his job or has his poor judgement played out on the front page of the newspaper.

We have been telling our kids for a few years that anything they text or send or post is in some fashion permanant. Yet while they hear us and understand in the moment we know that they do not always remember. We have seen posts that our kids have made or even took part in by reading and by being silent on the offensive matter and thus affirming that if ..in five years ...they were applying for a job would most likely not be helpful to them.

I do not have Facebook but it is my understanding that the Timeline feature makes it even easier to check out a person's history at anytime of their lives.

It is a different world. It is not technology's fault. It is not Facebook's fault anymore than it is the phone companies fault that a text goes out too soon or to the wrong person. However unlike the past, a mistake such as this is forever out there in the world of cyberspace.

I am glad my son is thinking about me though. I love him too.