I find it creepy, that story in the news about the two girls (ages ten and twelve) who went wandering in the storm drains in some town in Australia and got lost. To me, Aussie storm drains seem like a must to avoid; I picture them sort of super-sized and full of, I don’t know, mutant sharks or something. (I know, I’ve seen too many horror movies.)

But the story gets more complex. The girls, who apparently had cell phones and adequate service, made a goofy choice. Instead of calling 000 (the local emergency number), they made Facebook status updates with news of their predicament. Sadly, their Facebook cry for help went unnoticed for several hours, until a friend finally caught it and called, uh, 000.

This is the kind of event that inspires criticism of the girls’ parents for coming up short on safety instruction. But I’m not in a position to blame them. I don’t think I ever said to the girls, “When lost in a storm drain, call 911 first, then update your Facebook status.” Now I’m wondering what other safety tips I forgot to tell my daughters.

Ah, well, they are off at college now and must fend for themselves. I might just text them a heads up about the storm drain/Facebook thing. (Better late than never.) I’d write them on Facebook, but they refuse to friend me.