I've been reading over some other blogs on the Internet, and it never ceases to amaze me how little privacy people afford their children when writing about them. I've chosen to use initials when talking about my kids. I also am careful about what I write about them. Once you put something on the net, it's there. You can take it down, but there's no telling how many people have passed it on before you decided to remove it.
Since my oldest daughter has a form of autism known as Asperger's Disorder, I read a lot of autism blogs. I just can't believe how freely people write about the intimate details of their kids' meltdowns, problems with toilet training older kids, and other very private things. So many people make no effort to hide their names or the names of their kids. I do post on some private boards, but even then I try to protect my daughter's privacy while trying to help others or trying to find help with some of the difficulties of having an autistic child.
I think people don't think about what's going to happen to their kid when they hit middle or high school and somebody Google's their name. Can you imagine how you would have felt in middle school if someone in your class found out that your parent wrote about what a giant pain you were at four and how they couldn't stand you? Or if you found out that when you were five your mom wrote all about your incontinence or nosepicking? Kids in school can be very cruel, and I think a lot of us moms with the best of intentions are giving future bullies tons of fodder.
Remember moms, the Internet is forever.
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2 comments:
That is so true. My whole blog is anonymous. I have posted one or two pictures but the faces are always stamped over with a yellow smiley face. I never use their names and I agree that maybe saying all the bad stuff is not a good idea. We should try to focus on the positives!
I can't tell you how many times I've started a post, but before publishing it, I think, "Will this hurt my child's feelings if they read it?" I try to remember the old warning, don't write it if you wouldn't want your mother to read it. I've replaced mother with children. :)
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