Parenting Blogs Respect Your Kids’ Privacy
As a parent, and a blogger who blogs about parenting I think those in the same shoes I am need to be careful of what we type about our family. There are those who are so scared of revealing information that some predator will stalk their family, kids, and turn their life upside down. I understand that we need to be careful what information we display to the public. Some are not concerned at all. Some think there are so many blogs out there that the chances of being targeted is slim. In other words, there are so many people making noise it isn’t really a grave risk to post a picture or 2 of your kids.
But I am talking less security issues and more about what you say about your kids. Do you want your kids to grow up and read about how they soiled their diapers 12 times in one day, or vomited on the family cat? Some may not care but kids need to be respected and we need to be real careful how we talk about them. Our kids are people. Just think if your own parents actually had computers when you were a child and it was new to them… this whole blogging thing… It was so fun for them to blog they just weren’t thinking and posted all kinds of stuff about you.
All that information is not kept in a diary hidden away under a bed mattress. The whole world has access to that information if they want it. So even though there are security risks, I also think there is a risk of not being respectful of your own children.
What got me to thinking about this was an article I found while searching posts at the dad stays home forum. It really sheds some light on this very issue and if you haven’t thought about it then this is a good time to. For those who have family blogs and often talk about their kids, no matter how young, should read through this article and take some time to think about how you blog and what you say.
As so-called mommy blogs (and daddy blogs) gain in popularity, parents and child experts are wondering just how far too far is. Should children read what their parents are writing? Should they have a say in what’s on the blog? And at what point does baring your soul become a violation of your child’s privacy?
Many parents who blog say they think hard about these issues, debating whether to include anecdotes and personal information.
You’re so right, Steve! As the parent of a teenager and someone who blogs about parenting teenagers over at Parenting Teens, I run anything I write about my daughter by her first. Normally, she has no problems with what I write, but occasionally she asks me to remove something I’ve put in. I try to respect anything that she doesn’t want me to reveal.