Pictures from cameras with light-bulb flashes…then later on, throw away cameras. Maybe Polaroids or some low-quality home videos. This is pretty much all we have, as adults today, to remember our childhoods. I sure do have a juicy diary that I would occasionally write in as a tween, as well as some interesting graffiti and doodling on my CCD books to remind me of those awkward years. But I wish there were more. I wish I knew what I was doing on April 20, 1993 at the age of 12. Educated guess: softball practice or hanging out at the ball field. Maybe if there was Facebook, Instagram or Snapchat back then I could look back and see what I REALLY was up to. What were my friends up to? Maybe I could even get a glimpse of what my mom was thinking that day if she were on those platforms. Was she so sick of dealing with my attitude that day that she needed a glass of wine that night? Unfortunately I will never know.
Lots of times, I feel like I shouldn’t be writing or posting on social media about my kids’ lives or my life. I ask myself questions and answer myself often.
Am I being too open?
First off, I am an open person in real life. I will talk about anything to anyone and not be embarrassed. Just ask my friends and co-workers. As I am open in real life, I am open in my online life. It’s just who I am. #sorrynotsorry
Should I be more private?
The only time I worry about privacy is when I see creepy people follow me on Instagram. Are they stalking me? Ew. Let’s be real, I have heard stories where kid’s identities are stolen and all sorts of weird shit. I make an effort not to put TOO MUCH personal info or details out there. But honestly, I am not going to let a few weirdos out there dictate my life. So the answer: I guess I could try a little harder 🙂
Am I invading my kids’ privacy?
Remember the story about the 18 year old girl who sued her mom for posting pics of her as a baby? Ugh. Kids, if you are reading this and you are over 18 please don’t sue me. I swear people love seeing your cute little faces! Sometimes my 7 year old says to me, “Mom, I want privacy.” I tell him there is no such thing as privacy until he is 18. This is the new norm. Deal with it.
I can only hope that in 15 years, my kids can go back through my pictures, timeline, blog, etc. and really get to see what it was like through my eyes. Times have certainly changed. I truly think that as much as people are thought to “overshare” and provide “TMI” it will be super cool for our kids to “relive” their childhoods through our posts like we couldn’t get to do.
Earlier today a memory popped up on my FB page from 2015, when my daughter was two. The pic was adorable and I honestly forgot all about it until today. Just seeing her little baby face made me so happy & emotional. It brought back such fun memories and really made me think how thankful I am to be able to preserve all of these precious moments.
NOTE: T
o all of the parents who do keep their children offline and are more conservative when it comes to social media, I do not judge you or think you are wrong in your beliefs.
I think you bring up some good points as to why posting helps create very detailed memories. I tend to be on the more private side. I try to only post the backs of their heads or pictures where you can see parts of their faces or old pictures. I also don’t post their names typically.