“If an employer Googled you, what would they find?” This isn’t just a question for those who are looking for work. It brings up an interesting question for all parents to consider.

The question is: What are your kids posting today that could come back to haunt them when they apply for jobs or colleges? I have a daughter who is 13, and she has had a MySpace page for the past four months or so. With employers doing Google checks (as well as credit checks — WTF is up with that?) on prospective employees, it’s no small stretch to think they (or the folks who review apps for college scholarships) could find a teen’s MySpace page, where perhaps that teen has not been too concerned about what they post.

And as parents, to what extent do we try to balance (thru our influence) a kid’s need to find him/herself… to “try on” various identities, including the negative ones… to express him/herself… with the need for future considerations?

It’s no longer enough to tell your kids, “get good grades in high school because it will affect your chances at college.” These days, kids have many amazing communications tools that we as parents didn’t have at that age. But they are completely unaware of the fact that what they post on MySpace and other sites may actually have an impact on their future success. Can we help them understand without appearing to suck all the joy out of their online experience? What’s the right age to begin?