You know the days when parents would call one another or make plans to meet before allowing their children to date? If you can remember that far back, then you probably also know that, for most parents, those days are long gone.
Now that our kids are using cellphones at younger and younger ages, have their own social media profiles, and can speak in shortened encryptions that only they understand, the time when parents have even a semblance of a clue about their kids’ true activities are over. When your daughter is asked out on a date, you’re lucky to meet the boy, let alone know anything about his family or background.
Fortunately for worried parents everywhere, the same technological advances that have made our kids so difficult to track are actually laden with opportunities to find out exactly what they are doing, and with whom. Now, no parent wants to create such a relationship of distrust that they feel the need to stalk their daughters. But, once in a while, especially if our kids are less than forthcoming, we just need to know exactly what’s going on.
When you need to do a little digging into the romantic life of your little girl, try some of these valuable tips:
1. Get a full name.
Kids know that a full name will lead you directly to massive amounts of information about their current flames, so some girls hold on to their boyfriends’ last names like the latest Twilight novel. If you can swing it, though, getting a last name is the first step toward narrowing down exactly who your daughter is dating. Once you have it, you can Google and search all social media outlets to find any information that’s out there.
2. Google with relevant details.
If you don’t have a full name, or have finally gotten it, but don’t know how to narrow down your search options, the first place to go is Google. Take whatever name you have and add relevant information, like the school name, birth year, or parents’ names to single out which kid this could be.
3. Facebook stalk your daughter.
If you can’t find information using a name, try going the opposite direction and looking over your daughter’s social media profiles for clues about her social life. If she is having regular interactions with a particular boy, or if her friends endlessly refer to particular names, then on of those could be your daughter’s potential date. Maybe your daughter is careful not to put too much information on her profile (which is a good thing), but you can also try looking at her close friends’ accounts for information.
4. Find his parents’ social media accounts.
If you can find the names of his parents, try taking a look at their Facebook or Twitter accounts. This will give you a clue as to who his parents are and what type of family life he has.
5. Search for a Twitter account.
Most young people are transitioning to more use of Twitter accounts, rather than Facebook, especially for speaking their minds. You can try searching for names directly on Twitter, or you can see if a social media profile also lists the boy’s Twitter account information. Check out your daughter’s, as well, if she has one.
6. Do photo double takes.
Every picture tells a story. It’s true! So go ahead and use them to your best advantage. Most kids tag their Facebook pictures with the names of everyone in them, so, if your daughter is frequently in pictures with a particular boy, check for his name. You can also look through pictures to see how your daughter and potential dates are acting toward one another.
This is a guest post by Jane Smith from background check. She is a Houston based freelance writer and blogger. Questions and comments can be sent to: janesmth161 @ gmail (dot) com.
