I’m taking the kid out of the internet. You may have noticed, or maybe not, my kiddo’s face has been pretty absent from my blog and all social media. If there is a photo, it’s usually only her eyes (cause those peepers are gorgeous). It’s a decision I’ve struggled with since she was a wee babe. She’s getting older and I just don’t know if I want her online. When she was a squishy blobby baby, I was ok… but now she’s turning into a human. I know eventually she’ll be a preteen asking me for a Facebook account (or, whatever new social site there will be in 10ish years), but for now I am going to limit things… since she still listens to me… for now. Ha!
I know there are past posts with her cute face all over them, but it’s time to limit her appearance from here on out. Sad, but it’s for the best. I feel more comfortable with things this way. DON’T worry, there will be a ton of photos of the cats/dog/chickens. What about you…. are you limiting photos of your kids online?
– Chelsey
hello!!!
i finally find a post that agrees with my views.
yes, i do not have kids but from the get go before i ever started blogging, when i was new to IG and even back in the beginning days of FB i made a conscious decision to NEVER post my child on the internet in any way.
i just feel its rather safe to NOT have my (future) kids on blast tp the open public for EVERYONE to see.
ill maybe (if and when the time comes) just post lil bitty parts like feet or hands i don't know yet but for sure no face.
thanks for this post.
-Les
lovewhatyouread14.blogspot.com
ps. i will be re-posting this!
thanks!
i don't blog – just love to read them 🙂 but, social media? well, yeah. of course. …i think if my child was of a quieter or more subdued nature then i would be more hesitant to post pictures of her. she is, however, outgoing and gregarious and loves to share her thoughts and activities with most everyone we come across. so i don’t feel that she would be embarrassed from the attention. if the time ever came that she asked me to stop, then i would without question. but i tend to think that internet exposure/social media is something that we, as parents, are more sensitive to than our kids will be simply because they have never experienced life without it and so it’s kind of a standard of normalcy for them.
i know there are creepers out there, but i just have faith that humankind is inherently more good than evil (maybe naive, denial, etc. – but whatever). what i love most about social media is being able to share the details of our lives with friends and family that they wouldn't otherwise be a part of. i love seeing them celebrate our victories, offer advice during our trials, laugh with us at our daughter’s incredible hilarity, and shower us with words of compliment and encouragement during this journey called life. and when i read family blogs, i do this too. i celebrate the lives of our children – their accomplishments, milestones, and general crazy adorableness. it makes me feel like i’m part of a global community of people. it’s a dynamic that was missing from my (our) childhood, simply because the technology wasn't there and is an opportunity, i feel, for my daughter to have a broader support system and cheering squad where there aren't landlocked boundaries. because the internet can reach anywhere.
that being said, i do feel that there are smart precautions that can be taken (not using location settings on photos that you plan to share online from your phone, post pictures showing your address, or share things online that are happening in real time – like out jogging or at the park. save that for a #latergram).
either way, i enjoy your blog – chickens, dogs, diy, photography, those inspirational no heat waves that my sister in law still uses a few days a week..it’s all good. thank you for that : )
plus, it helps me in my attempts at memory keeping/scrapbooking – in our crazy, busy lives it's an easy, accessible way to document the moments i don't ever want to forget.
True.
It's been hard, since I love to go back and wander old photos of my kiddo. It's been my online journal. I'll definitely still write about her and all the goodness, just no more full face photos. I've had a couple really creepy situations and I really want to avoid them happening again.
P.S. your kiddo sounds adorable with some awesome personality!
yikes 🙁 definitely a game changer. that motherly instinct is there for a reason. i'll continue to enjoy reading the stories and totally understand your decision 🙂
It could never be a bad decision to take the kiddies out of the spotlight. I've considered it as well, but for me it's the reason I started DLK.
It's so hard to decide.
I'm so right here right now. I'm seriously contemplating migrating the high-traffic content to another site that I contribute to, deleting everything, and enjoying life without a blog. Still struggling through it, although I'd still want to crash PNW Blogger events 😉
I don't think I can approve that. 😉
I agree with your decision. Almost 6 months ago, my baby sister was born. And as adorable she may be, I don't feel comfortable posting her pictures anywhere. I don't know why, though. Maybe I'm just being superstitious 😀
The internet is so big and crazy, I totally get it.
I'm absolutely right there with you. I've only just become a mother, but my husband and I decided long ago not to put pictures of our (then future) child on social media sites. I'm just not comfortable with it. To be honest, I wasn't comfortable with pictures of my husband being on Facebook either – he chooses not to keep any social media accounts, and I don't think it's right for him to be plastered all over them. (It is surprisingly painstaking to untag yourself from pictures.)
Great post. It's definitely a good talking point. 😉
My hubs prefers to stay out of social media, too. 🙂
I can totally understand where you're coming from! I've really scaled back on what I share online about the kids. Mine vary in age from 4 to 18 so it's tough. I've only shared stuff that they approve of beforehand, but even at that I have to take into account that there might be stuff that they might be embarrassed about in the future. It's such a tough thing to balance.
Hope you're doing well. I miss your beautiful face! You'll have to let me know next time you're out this way. 🙂
I miss you! I'm never really out in your area…. which is why you need to come to Portland!
I've really struggled with this too. I'm thinking I'll change the blog after her 1st birthday in regards to showing her face.
Definitely do what makes you more comfortable. <3
I don't limit the pictures I share of my kids. But I have made an effort to make my blog more about ME and not about them. However now that I am homeschooling that line is pretty thin. So there are more pictures of my oldest because he is home with me all the time now. I don't use any of their names though.
As a soon-to-be mom, I think about this all the time. I'm sure as a baby, there will be a flood of pictures, but I'm not sure how much I want my child on the internet as they grow up. I guess we'll see when the time comes!
You just have to go with how you feel.
I'm totally an oversharer of my kids lives on facebook and instagram, but now that my blog is starting to pick up the pace a little bit, I'm getting kind of nervous about it. I can un-do 2 years of posting photos almost every day, but I think I'm going to start limiting it as well. I don't know. It's hard as a blogger, cause you want your readers to connect. But at the same time, there's legit creepers out there…
I started limiting her last year… then just randomly stopped showing her face. I don't think I really made the actual decision… it just sorta happened. 🙂 I feel better about it.
It must be nice to not have to worry about it anymore. Now you don't have to worry if you're doing the right thing or not. It's better to just have nothing up then to have some up and worry about it all the time.
I had been thinking about it forever… and then finally just stopped. I feel better about things now. 🙂
I've been thinking about this lately. I'm not a "big" blogger like you so my children aren't exposed to the degree yours is…I will re-evaluate as my kids get older, but you gotta do what's best for your family. Your blog is wonderful and has defintitely moved out of the "mommy blogger" category anyway 🙂
<3
I have been battling with this for so long. My kids are 12, 11 and 10, and now they are actually getting sick of me talking about them and posting pictures. While I want to just scream "IM YOUR MOM AND ILL DO WHAT I WANT", then again I really want to respect their privacy. So like you, I have already scaled back the amount of personal information I share. I also only post things that get their seal of approval.
Honestly I can't imagine how I would feel if my mom documented my entire life via the internet.
OH man. You're so right about that. So many things I'm glad my mom wasn't able to share with the world while I grew up. Ha!
I deleted my blog and as much content as I was able about 6 months back. I just wasn't feeling it anymore and with both of them in school now, I wasn't sure if I wanted it all out there anymore. I still post pics of them on Instagram. They are pics I'd be willing to share with friends and family and nothing I think will be embarrassing to them. They are old enough where they sometimes ASK me to take pictures of things they are doing and in the even they ask me NOT to post or flat out delete (which they have) a picture, I do. I respect them. If they ever asked me not to post pictures of them, I would. I never geo tag anything and if we are somewhere that our location would be obvious, I snap the picture with a different app than IG and only post it once we've left. I try to share but maintain at least a certain level of privacy where I can.
I wondered where your blog went and totally understand. <3
It would be interesting to hear more about your motivation behind the move.
i see more & more bloggers limiting or eliminating their children from blogs lately & i totally get it. i used to blog, but have since stopped. there are just so many crazies out there, not to mention those who steal kids pics & use them for the weird things. i do post pics of my son, but my IG & facebook are private & lock down to those i know. even then i only post once in a while. good for you to think of your beautiful daughter 🙂
No I'm not going to remove my children from my blog, because one of the reasons I started my blog (and why I still blog, for the most part), is for THEM. You know? I want to document their early years and write everything down. I know that as an adult, I would have LOVED if my Mom had the ability to blog when I was a child. I think it's awesome.
With that said, though, I definitely understand why people make the decision to take their kids outta their blogging. It totally depends on why you're blogging and, of course, what you're comfortable with. It's a personal decision.
I really respect that. I just recently started reserving a few things from my blog now that my daughter is 18 months. Rooney had a tantrum in the mall (her first big public tantrum) and normally it's something I would have blogged about, but it felt weird to me. I do think as she gets older that I will be pulling her off even more.
I have been trying as well to limit the things online about my daughter. I had a sudden realization when I posted something of my daughter on facebook and then family members 'shared' it with their friends. I don't know who all is seeing it that way. I will probably post a family picture or two on my facebook, but no more candids and no more silly things of her in her swimming suit or whatever. She should get the say on what is shared about her, and so when she is old enough she can start deciding what her internet self is.
The internet is crazy. Everyone can share with everyone!
My little boy is 14 months old; still a blobby baby but I have been really convicted about this lately. Thanks for the post. 🙂
I actually have noticed and I can't say that I blame you. We have to look out for our kiddos…so kudos to you for doing just that!
That is SO vice!!!
I only share blurry shots of my kids, or their backside, hands, small parts of face.. It's not cool because I have soooo cute kids and it would be so lovely to share photos of them doing what they do. But I have been limiting their photos from the beginning and I'm happy about that.
I am with you 100%. I have struggled with this since the very first day I started my blog. How do you accurately portray your life and family without completely exposing your kid? It's so tricky. My decision was to not show her face. There are lots of shots of the back of her head, and for now, I am comfortable with that….although that might change, who knows.
Right there with you.