“Oh Come On, Admit It. You Use Facebook Too!”

It’s not something I’m necessarily proud of, but I’ll admit I use Bragbook. I mean Facebook.

It’s a gas to stay connected with “friends” from different phases of life. Even those I never actually met.

It’s not my salad, but it’ll have to do

The site always delivers essential information.  Who wouldn’t be interested to see a photo of the salad my 4th grade hockey teammate just ate?

Without Facebook how would I have seen that video of a dog in Japan chase its tail for 3 minutes if not for my old dental hygienist sharing it on her timeline?

Seriously though, I think what I enjoy most are the pictures with friends of my youth posing with their kids. So many times, I find myself shaking my head incredulously muttering, “that guy is responsible for raising another human being?” And the reality is every time I’m in a similar photo somebody in cyberspace shakes his or her head and mutters the same.

It’s likely I’ll be posting some Facebook photos soon because my oldest son and I are off on a little travel adventure.

It came about when I borrowed an idea from my buddy, Phil Cecil, who told me when each of his five kids turned ten he took them on a father-son/daughter trip.  I loved the idea immediately and my wife encouraged me to do the same when my kids turned that age.

Just like an Aussie the little man got right into the mix of some rugby union action

And so that’s what led me to typing this entry at exactly 2:39AM local time on our first night in Sydney, Australia where I’ve been wide awake for over an hour.

In addition, to experiencing the beautiful city, its people and their culture the trip provides an opportunity to have conversations with my son about topics like decision-making, being authentic and finding your passions. I hope they’ll be talks he’ll remember and maybe even serve him well in life.

The important thing is that I want them to be conversations. Not lectures. We both get more out of them that way.

And so far, our trip to Sydney is off to a great start.  I connected with a college buddy, Mark Cashion, who lives here with his Australian wife, two sons the same ages as mine and their dishlicker (Aussie slang for dog) named Storm.

The Cashions and us. You can always spot the Aussies in a crowd, no?

We’re staying with them our first night.  They’ve got a great thing going, which is awesome to see.  It’s also provided a window into how parenting is done Down Under.  My initial take? It’s the same art no matter where you live – you just do the best you can and regardless you love them unconditionally.

So during our Sydney stay we’ll be experiencing lots of sites, sampling the fare and interacting with the locals. And who knows, if the mood strikes I may get on Facebook to post a picture of my salad or maybe even a short video of an Aussie dishlicker chasing its tail for a minute or two.

Go. See. Be. Do.

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