The Sun Sentinel's Russell Small offers this:

I have finally found an excellent use for Facebook – other than catching up with people I haven’t seen in 20 years.

Our son, whom I won’t name, heads to college soon and is down to only one important house rule: If you’re gonna be getting home later than 2 a.m., call and leave a message saying you’ll be out late and you’re okay.

One recent Thursday, my wife woke up at 4 a.m. (we won’t get into the reasons here) and saw he wasn’t home. She raced to the car, went to look for him, and they crossed paths as he was arriving home.

A week later, the wife wakes up at 6 a.m. and discovers, again, no son at home. She calls his cell phone; no answer, and no callback after her message was left. She calls all his friends’ cell phones; no answer there either.

Now she’s really beginning to panic. Wandering the halls, wondering what to do, she discovers that once again, he’s left his computer on (Electricity? We pay for that?). This time, the online DSL is running and his Facebook page is right there on the screen.

So the wife sits down and types a posting: “To all [our son’s] friends: [Our son] did not come home last night. He still is not home. He does not answer his phone or return calls. His friends aren’t answering their phones either. His father and I are worried sick. If you have seen him, please tell him to call home and tell us he’s all right. Thanks.” She signed her name.

A half-hour later, our son calls. “Do you know what you just put me through?” he barks into the phone at his mother, who picked up.

“Do you know what you put us through?” my wife answered. Her response was a bark magnified a dozen times.

“All my friends are phoning me to tell me to call home.”

“Good,” she answered. “At least they can get through to you.”