A dear friend sent me an email after reading my earlier blog post. She very kindly and tactfully suggested that I think about whether to continue posting photos of my kids, especially the older one, and their names. One concern is the creeps in the world; the other, however, involves the possibility that my kids, especially the eldest, might be subject to teasing should his classmates somehow stumble upon references to him on the internet. I have thought about this, and I think she is right. So from here on out, I'll start referring to my kids simply by their first initials, and I'll drastically minimize the photos of my eldest, and, to a lesser extent since they're younger, my youngest two. I love my kids more than anything, and that includes being more respectful of their privacy. I consider myself chastened.
And thanks to the friend -- she knows who she is...
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9 comments:
Good decision, for all the reasons you give. I've only used initials when blogging about family and friends. When I needed photos to document a Master Gardener project I did with my grandaughter's knidergarten class, I used angles did obscured their faces. I wasn't required to do this, just felt better about it--more as a privacy isssue than the paranoia factor.
obscure (who can't force her ancient computer to cooperate with Blogger)
Me tactful?? Always a first for everything, I guess.
I also try to make my photos of the kids blurry and off-kilter, and use nicknames for them and everyone in my family. This week, I posted a picture of my kid getting on the bus, and I realized that there were a bunch of other kids, full faces, in the picture as well. I quickly cropped them out and republished, but boy, did I feel horrible.
The hell with the kids. Lets see more of YOU Carol. Common' girl, you must have some limbo competition shot with the Eros fishnets or, the famous jello wrestling in the Lolita 2 piece....
I'm in that camp, too. I try to keep in mind the humiliation factor and the privacy/safety factor. Hence the goofy pseudos for my friends and family...and I even have one for my own self.
I've posted I think only 1 photo of MyFavoriteKid on my blog that shows his face, but he was off in the distance, and I asked for his permission...but he's only nine. I can't imagine he is able to understand the ramifications of everything he's agreeing to.
A few more years and he'll be in the phase where every single thing I do is going to cause him embarrassment, so I figure why start early LOL.
That's something I probably never would have thought of if I had a blog. Sounds like very good advice, and a very caring friend.
All 5 of you will have all my best thoughts next Friday (and all weekend, too). Yes, get her a bell- we had a "sick" bell growing up, I was just asking my mother where it was- she mumbled something about burying it where it would never be found.
When my sister first mentioned she would never post a picture of her children (because of the creeps), it made me realize what a screwed up place this World has become.
I can't imagine the difficulties of parenting in this day and age.
I'm glad your kids have such good parents.
Hi, my name is Meghan and I'm delurking here. If my son didn't mind I wouldn't care about posting pictures - especially if he's modeling something I made! Its like getting your name in the paper. And I honestly think that talking about and sharing our famiies stories are going to become so common, so normal that it wouldn't even be something to tease about - unless you talk smack about your kids or actually share really and truly embarassing items about them. Anyways, I feel that there is almost too much caution these days. Yes, there are whackjobs everywhere, but there are so many more normal, nice people (like the ones that seem to hang out here). So my two cents are for the dissenting opinion. When it comes to families, say it loud and say it proud!
Its a tough line to walk. My blog is up to share info and having to obscure identities makes it less valuable to me and the folks that I intentionally write for. I do take a few precautions:
No last names
No employer or school references
No residence references other than the metro area in which we live
I hope I never find out that isn't enough caution...
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