MomDad, did you see that? That… thing. Tweet, pic, snap, story… whatever it was. Did you SEE it?
Did you see it through the eyes of your child 20 years from now?
Yes, we live in a world where everything we do, say – even think – is shared with the world. At least it seems that way much of the time. And, as my boss is fond of saying, words matter.
Yes, we want to share, “help,” ask for advice and more via whatever online tool interests us today. Yes, there are many people who are wonderful and make our lives better, lighter, through their interactions with us on social media. And, yes, we sure can find others to connect with when our path is rocky, at best.
Still, watch that post. Any time you share images and info about your child(ren) you run the risk of harming them down the road.
And, yes, I do know what I am talking about. If you aren’t familiar with me, I wrote and published (via Future Horizons) one of the first books on raising a daughter on the autism spectrum. My daughter is now grown, and her opinion on this is valid and strong. She is, after all, the “child” her mother and father post about.
When I wrote the book Asperger’s in Pink we knew some day our daughter may not want her image splattered all over the place. As much as she was behind the book from the start, she does not want her face associated with the story. Why? It’s personal. People are, well, people-y. She desires to protect that part of herself in the real world she lives in.
And we respect that. And it is a delicate dance. But we’ve done it.
If you want to share your story raising your child understand it is their story more than it is yours. We hold them for a little while. They fly for much, much longer than that. We must choose to think how they will react when they see what we say about them to the world.
Yes, “everyone does it.” And, as Dad says, “Does that make it right?”
Parenting isn’t all about us, for without the child(ren), we wouldn’t be parents at all. Let’s choose to demonstrate love for them by being discerning when we post anything about them.
~peace