As my first-grader regaled me with stories of her day, my heart beamed with pride. She’s a genius!
Apparently my daughter thought so, too. “Are you going to put that on Facebook?” she asked.
In our social-media-saturated world, our posts can negatively affect our children — inflating their egos, embarrassing them or eroding their trust in us. Before you post, ask:
How will this affect the way my child sees herself? Our posts create a persona our children see — and often try to emulate. When the persona is too perfect, they may become conceited. When it’s too negative, they may never live it down.
Does it build trust? Home should be a haven for everyone. Blogging about my daughter’s moodiness may be cathartic, but it violates her trust in me.
What if it were me? What’s adorable to us can be embarrassing to our children. As your child gets older, he may be mortified you posted that picture of him during bath time.
This article appeared in the December 2011 issue of Thriving Family magazine and was titled "To Share or Not to Share." Copyright © 2011 by Esther Feng. Used by permission. ThrivingFamily.com.