Please Ask Before You Post

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My kids. THEY. ARE. MY. KIDS.

If I could start and end this post with that fragmented sentence, and know you would understand what in the world I was talking about, then I would. But alas, I must explain.

It all goes back to asking before you post MY KIDS on the internet. Just ask me first. Even so, ask them first. Ask my permission. See if it is an event that I even want documented. Respect their privacy (no matter how young they are). Respect ME as their MOM. 

Friends, I may post pictures of my kids. But again, I am their parent.  I don’t randomly post a photo of your child while attending their sports event, school play, or play date. So don’t post mine. And if I did, heck, I would ASK YOU if that’s ok.

Please don’t ask my kiddo to pose for 18,000 ‘fake’ – and yet supposed to be ‘genuine’  – selfies. Then post one so the world thinks my kid was actually happy to just sit there and ‘fake it till they make it’ at the expense of total boredom. All to make you happy. Yeah. You may be my in law, brother, aunt, sister, or parent. But guess what. I. DON’T. CARE. Exploitation at it’s finest. Let’s ‘pretend’ my sweetie actually ‘wants’ to be sitting there posing with you and cat ears or fireworks in the background (thanks FB messenger for adopting those cartoon-like characteristics so the kids actually look at the camera) – all so the social media hounds can believe that she loved it. When in reality she was trying to get back to playing with the dog and chasing her brother around the house. Why? I mean. Who cares? Oh, that’s right. You wanted to portray this ‘fake’ story to the world. I forgot. You are consumed by social media. And apparently what they think of you and your 9-year-old niece. 

When did our private lives become your responsibility to post about? Or better yet, your right? While it may not be be against the law for you to do so (yeah yeah, free country this and that), last time I checked, I pushed those kids out of my nether region. So I would hope you would at least have the respect to ask if I cared. If I preferred you do or don’t. If I even had an opinion about it. You feel me right now?

I am really not an angry mom. In fact, I am sitting here, braless & in a messy bun on a glorious Sunday afternoon, lounging on the couch with a smile on my face. Ironically, after posting a photo of my own kiddo just an hour ago, but there is a difference here. Again, I am their parent.

For some reason the freedom that comes with social media and smartphones makes people believe that they are free to post whatever, of whoever, whenever. Think again. Maybe I didn’t want the world to know that he received that prestigious award at the school assembly unless I shared it with them (dear friend). Maybe none of us wanted that photo of their first game in their high school career to be posted (dear mother in law) until she wanted it to be shared. Maybe I didn’t want that first day of kindergarten photo to be posted AT ALL (dear sister) because it was simply a sentimental moment in her life that I wanted to keep private.

And guess what. I don’t need a reason. 

My kid. My blood. My mama bear instincts. My kid. Respect for me and my family. My heart and soul. My kid. Need I say more…

And that’s all that should matter.

Just some food for thought friends. Think about it before you post. First, think. Then, ask. Always, respect.

2 COMMENTS

  1. We have run into this a lot as foster parents! We are not allowed to post our foster kids on the internet at all (it would be breaking the law!), but I also have to have super hyper vigilance to make sure no one else is posting them and giving the entire inter webs context about their lives. It’s a tricky line to walk! And it’s a great reminder to me as an Aunt and being around my friends kids!

  2. The Privacy is the rights of all, age not the matter. And I appreciate the word “First, think. Then, ask. Always, respect”.

    I remembered an article that I read in a newspaper, Kids arrested their parents because they post his photo on facebook and other social platforms without asking or taking permission.

    So the privacy is the fundamental rights and everyone must be respected.

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