As a blogger, I feel as though my life is an open book. My friends often joke that they don’t really need to “catch up” with me because I share so much of my life online that they already know what I’ve been up to. And they are right…. to an extent.
When my kids were newborns and toddlers I shared a lot about my experience as a mom to newborns and the ups and downs of parenting. I wrote about how I suffered from the baby blues, had a colic baby, my struggle and dislike for breastfeeding, the endless sleepless nights, the constant (and unsuccessful) battle to parent without screen time, how I was judged about the sex of my kids (which I had zero control over) and how I struggled to be a better parent all around!
Frankly, I’ve shared a lot of my reality and my truths. Ultimately though, what I shared was pretty universal. Parents from all over the world could relate to most of it, maybe even all of it.
But now, as my kids are getting older, and our challenges and issues are more specific in nature, I find myself unable to share their stories with the same openness and candor that I once did. My kid’s stories are THEIR stories – not mine! I don’t want them to read these posts one day and be embarrassed that I shared certain details about them.
This conversation recently came up with one of my blogging friends. We both agreed that perhaps one day, when specific issues pass, we can write about things in retrospect and share stories about how we dealt with overcoming challenges versus focusing on the child and their struggles. However, that’s certainly not an option now and some of the challenges we are dealing with may never truly “pass”.
As a parenting blogger this is challenging as I’ve always shared so much of my life and parenting struggles. However, I must respect the privacy of my kids. Luckily they still give me plenty to talk about along with my non stop “parenting fail” moments that I have on a regular basis.
So there… even I have my limits.
What are your limits when it comes to sharing about your kids online?
My husband always tells me to be careful about what I write about for the exact reason that when they are older they will be able to read everything. I hear ya girl!!!!
I totally agree with your decision.
I have always been pretty private about what I share online. I wish more parents were. Once it is on the internet it is there forever and future inlaws, employers etc will see it . I can not imagine having my life out there when I was growing up
Yep as kids get older, we want to protect their privacy even more. I tend to write general posts about a particular age and stage, rather than share super personal stories.
I have always been pretty private about what I share online. Agree with your decision.