You have 1 friend request: "Hi son, this is mom! Accept my friend request!"

I am quite sure you send out a lot of friend requests on Facebook.

I am quite sure you have received a lot of friend requests on Facebook.

However, how many of you actually accept friend requests from YOUR PARENTS?

Recently, more and more people face a scenario where their parents add them in Facebook. Most of them probably face a very agonizing dilemma: Do I add them? How do I reject them without hurting their feelings? Will they monitor whatever I do? Will my freedom be restricted if I add them in Facebook?

Are you one of the people who face problems when you accept your parents' "friend" request? A 23-year-old friend’s worst fears came true last week when a guy she had a crush on tagged her on some Facebook photos. Next thing she knew, her very excited mum left a Facebook comment that read: “Wow, Sarah! How come you never told me your new boyfriend’s such a delicious hunk?” Predictably, the said “hunk” never called again.

Perhaps it IS true that there may be problems due to the simple fact that there may be a huge age gap between you and your parents. If they do not spend enough time with you, they might not be able to understand you and your feelings and thoughts. They may not understand that by talking to you in a manner that they always do at home online, they might even make you feel uncomfortable.

However, I honestly do not believe that adding your parents or relatives on sites such as Facebook is such a bad thing at all. Are there any words that you do not want to say but want to convey? Do you have something in your mind that you want your parents to hear but do no want to tell them directly? Doesn't your life get easier if you are able to convey these thoughts online? Your parents are able to better understand you when they can learn about who you really are or want to be online. They can also interact with you more efficiently. Who knows? Perhaps they may even be your online "best friend".