Tiptoeing through the toddler years: how much should we share about our kids?

Though I’ve been inspired by the written word and interested in its craft and form for most of my life, I’ve only been a parent for more or less three years. My blog on Fridays will concern itself with my meandering thoughts about my babies. I’m not expert on parenting (some may say I’m not much of a writer), but my wisdom however gleaned will be here for all to absorb (or shake off). Feel free to comment as well!

Toddler nightmares:

I’ll tell you what two-year-old girls dream about: their nightmares come from the frustration of not getting their way. If only adult life could be different! Last night, or early this morning, sometime after my almost-10-month-old son woke crying, my daughter cried out about wanting chocolate milk and not juice. She was adamant. She was angry. She was asleep. I would have laughed had I not been exhausted. When I woke, I told my husband as it was a bit “funny.” I thought about sharing her sleep-spoken moment socially, and then I thought more about just how much I do share about my kids. And if maybe I should stop.

How much should you share about your kids online?

As we new parents (my oldest child and only daughter turns 3 November 29 and my son turns 1 November 27) tiptoe through the toddler years, we need to think about what we share about our children, obviously. We are the generation of social media moms and dads whose children’s lives will carry a digital thumbprint. We are the ones pushing the thumbs into the ink as we brand our kids as messy eaters or tyrants in their tantrums.

I know that each time I fire off my cell phone to capture the “Kodak” moment of a food-smeared face, I consider the cropping, the framing and what is in the background. I’m not judging those who expose addresses on mailboxes and license plates on cars, but we need to be fully aware of what information we put out “there.”

How much do you share about your children online? Comment below and please check back on Fridays for the “parenting” blog I’m calling “As the Laundry Rolls.”