“Most of the time I see screaming girls, but I know it will pass”

Catrina Raminhos spoke openly about the relationship of daughters, Maria Rita, 16, Maria Inês, from 14, and Maria Leonor, from 10, with social networks, since girls have always been exposed to the digital world mainly because of the career of António Raminhos as a humorist. 

In conversation with journalists at an event promoted by Asus, where they presented the new ASUS laptop Zenbook 14, on 22 October, at Oeiras Park, in Oeiras, where the News to Minutes was present, Catherine Raminhos first explained: 

“ Precisely because of the fact that the parents who worked with social networks, they knew a lot about the dangers and on the B side, or on the negative side, the blackest of social networks.”

“ Since all colleagues already had social media accounts, when they were in the 6th or 7th grade, we decided that they could have closed profiles, that is, they would accept who their parents knew – and actually their social networks were very friends of the school, the mothers of friends who are also our friends and were a little bit out there”, he explained. 

“ It is logical that then they grow up and at 15 or 16 years old create accounts that parents do not have access to. But it's all right, they have the notion of visibility, especially of the father, they have the notion of the risks that social networks have, and I think they manage very well ", he added.

“ They don't publish on a daily basis. I think they save a lot for, for example, a friend's dinner. It's funny, they use a lot to congratulate – they make videos with really cute songs to congratulate their friends – and I think it's funny. I think they are aware of the dangers they may have,” he said. 

“ Now it's logical too, consciously and quite honestly, I i think there's a lot that parents will always be unaware of because it's part of. But I’m even calm”, highlighted later.

Catherine Raminhos does not see, at least for the time being, the will of the daughters to want a more regular presence on social networks and to follow, for example, the way to be influencers. “At least not so far. They think it's funny when people approach on the street, especially when we're five and people are going to talk to their father, but I don't think it's something they want very much.”

“ Wearing their shoes, they've always known this reality and they're used to it. They think it's natural, but it's not something they aspire to, I think”, he said. 

Asked about how it has been dealing with adolescence, Catarina Raminhos did not fail to confess that “it has not been easy”. “The two most grown-ups have already dived headlong in adolescence” and therefore says, “to be able to deal with it”. But he also commented, “at the crucial moments, and most of the time, he knows that the values are there and somewhere under that cover are his daughters.”.

“ Most of the time what I see are two screaming girls staring at me, but I know it passes and one day they come back. It is my hope.”

With regard to gifts, Catarina Raminhos also confessed that “he never offered anything technological to his daughters”. “It is usually: Do they need the computer when they go to fifth grade? They stay with the old parents – and parents take advantage to renew, who work with computers – or else we have to buy”, he revealed.

“Telemóveis the same thing. When they moved on to the cycle, that even for us it was important that they were contactable, we bought a small bar or took the old ones. So I don’t think I’ve ever offered them anything related to technology, thinking about it.”