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Why I Don’t Put Pictures of My Kids on My Blog

I often get asked why I don’t post picture of my kids in my blog posts or on social media for The Dusty Parachute.

It’s hard not to.  They are both adorable and do insanely cute and crazy things about 10 time each hour.  So why not share this cuteness with the world?

There are several reasons, but the biggest reason is that about two years ago, when my daughter was 7, she walked up behind me as I was posting a picture of her on Facebook and asked “Why is that picture of me on the computer?  Shouldn’t I get to decide what happens to my pictures?”

I was floored.  She was right.

Since then, I have always asked her permission before posting anything to my personal Facebook account and still worry about it every time I hit “post”.  Sure, I want all the grandparents and friends back in Seattle to be able to see all the fun things we’re up to – but what happens in 7 more years if she’s completely mortified to learn that some photo that she agreed to posting when she was 7 years old turns up in her super cool teenage social circles?

When it comes to my The Dusty Parachute blog, I already know that the answer to “why am I posting this?” wouldn’t just be “for the grandparents and friends in Seattle.”  It would be for me….for pageviews….for something other than sharing special moments with friends and family.  So I don’t do it.  (And I’m not saying it’s bad for people who do….I just choose not to.)

This is the most amazing video I have ever seen that demonstrates some other reasons why I don’t include photos of my kids on The Dusty Parachute.

 

Now the cats…..they’re a totally different story.

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The Dusty Parachute by Susanne Kerns
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18 thoughts to “Why I Don’t Put Pictures of My Kids on My Blog”

  1. I don’t post on my blog pics of my kids but do (very rarely) post sterilized pics on my personal page. Such a hard balance. It was easier to parent us when the worst that could happen was a naked polaroid of a certain 3-year-old got brought out at every f’n occasion. Why is that funny? Aren’t 3-yr-olds supposed to be naked. Therapy has helped, but the resentment lingers…

    1. I know, even as I wrote that post I had to say “my son probably won’t be happy in a few years to discover that I have a picture of him picking his butt on the cover of my Facebook page.” I’m sure I’ll find even worse ways to embarrass him over the years though.

    1. I’m one of those super exclusive bloggers that likes to limit my readership to my mom and neighbor friends that feel obligated to read my stuff in case I quiz them at dinner parties. 😉 So glad that our Twitter honor connected us. Hope you have a great week!

  2. As much as the video is a parody, I actually don’t think it’s that far off from the reality of where we may end up! Sad to say. Personally, I’m not a big fan of pimping kids pictures and airing their personal/private struggles in a public manner just for clicks/more eyes. It’s just not something I ever want to do and if you ever see me doing … please call me out on it! Cause I can see that it might be a very slippery slope! HOWEVER … I am totally in favor of publishing every ridiculous thing they say on my blog and social media accounts. Cause that’s what keeps me sane:)

  3. I, too, have been on the fence. And even today’s post, I originally didn’t have personal pics, but then added a few since I have been for years now. That said, I am so not sure about this and definitely will still be thinking this over for a bit to be honest with you.

    1. I know – it’s hard to know what’s right. Chances are, by time the kids are teenagers kids are going to be so desensitized to being over-photographed that it’s not going to carry the same level of shock when one of their childhood photos surfaces during their teenage years. But it really was a punch in the gut when my daughter said that about “shouldn’t I get to decide where my pictures go?” So for now I just post them to personal Facebook pages (and even sparingly there) – which is a shame because I have about a zillion pictures that would go viral in a heartbeat. 😉

  4. I enjoyed reading your post. I don’t post pictures of my children on my blog either. For me, I wanted my kids to make the decision. I do post pictures occasionally on my Facebook page but I struggle with that too. It is a tricky decision. 🙂

  5. That video was funny and a a bit creepy because it’s not too far from reality. The arm-lengthening for selfies is something I wouldn’t put past certain celebrities doing – for themselves.

    Your daughter had some complex thoughts for a 7-year old!

    1. Yes, but about a week after she shut me down from posting pictures she started coming to me with just about everything she drew/made/wrote saying “can you post this?” I guess considering I’m a blogger I can appreciate wanting to share ‘creations’ but not pictures of myself. 🙂

    1. Yes, my main reason was because my daughter personally asked me not to do it but the Schilling incident really got me thinking. I’m so surrounded by nice and kind people that I forget who else is out there sometimes.

  6. It is definitely something I think about. I do post pictures of my toddler, but I wonder as she gets older how much to share about her life, as well as images of her. As blog about my life, I want to share the important people in it (including my family), but I also don’t want to share things that might embarrass them one day. Like you said, when they’re teenagers it might be so normal since they will have grown up with it, but who knows.
    And that video was hilarious!

  7. Interesting! I often wonder about this… if I shouldn’t use photos of my daughter… but I want to think of it as like our stories that I am writing, and a ministry where I am helping other families — not just for the page views. When she is old enough she can make her decisions about it.

    1. Oddly enough I am slow to post the pictures of my 9 year old daughter on my personal Facebook but don’t have as much of an issue with my poor 5 year old son who hasn’t verbalized not wanting them there. There’s a good chance that by times the kids are teenagers that this is going to be so normalized that it’s expected for everyone to have seen everyones’ baby photos. But for now, I’m honoring her request and focusing on all the embarrassing photos just being of me or the animals. 😉

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