MySpace is Evil

Yes, that's right. I said it. MySpace is evil. And I'm not talking about the pscyhos, perverts, and serial killers. No, MySpace has yet another dark side.

The teenage years have always been tough- dealing with the opposite sex, hormonal explosions, bullies, acne, grades, the list goes on and on. Now teens can add "MySpace" to the list.

As a mother of two teenagers, I've read the horror stories about MySpace and seen the television specials. I've made my daughters keep their information private, only allow friends to join that they know personally, and done all of the safety precautions that experts suggest.

So I was totally unprepared for my daughter coming into my bedroom crying the other night. Why? Because of MySpace, believe it or not. This is the daughter that always keeps her chin up. She has had her share of lows and I have rarely seen her cry, even when she was much smaller.

Granted, our family has been going through a lot lately. She has a troubled friend that causes her to worry. Her father has been half way across the country for most of the year. And yet she has always managed to get by with a smile on her face despite everything.

So imagine my surprise when she appeared with her mascara smeared and streaked across her face as she leaned in the doorway. With everything going on, all kinds of ideas ran through my head. Had her friend gotten into more trouble? Was she sick or had she gotten hurt?

"What's wrong?"
"_____ (omitted name) just took me off of her friends list on MySpace."

Okay, I'll admit it. I don't have a MySpace account. But I have heard enough about MySpace in my house to know that every MySpace account has a list. This is a very special list. It is called the "friends list". The owner of the MySpace account can allow everyone on their friends list or pick and choose whom they want to appear on their list. It can be rearranged, people can be removed, people can be added.