This is one of those blog posts that I’ve been agonising over for a while now. I’ve been blogging for well over a year now and how I write and what I write about has changed and adapted over this time. Generally speaking, I write about our adventures as a family and everything that goes with that.
How much though do you really share? How much should I share?
My main desire behind writing this blog nowadays is to keep my family up to date with what we are doing. I write this for them. My issue I have is that this is by no means private.
Should I be sharing this much about my life? Plenty of people do it though so why am I worrying.
I think this all stems from before the Robot came to be. I didn’t have a blog and I didn’t announce anything about being pregnant on Facebook, I didn’t announce the birth of my son. In fact it took 6 months for me to post his first picture on Facebook. Although I love my son I just didn’t want him to on-line!
Then I decided to start blogging and slowly I started sharing more and more. Now I share lots. He pops up all over my social media for people to see. I guess I am worrying about the people you wouldn’t want to read your blog.
There is a dark side to the internet and I just worry that someone will use and abuse the fact that I share our life on the internet. Then again I worry that we’ll be out on the street and a car will run us down. I worry that my son will get ill, I worry about a lot of stuff happening that probable won’t.
Is it just natural as a parent to worry this much? I have friends who constantly post pictures of their kids on Facebook, this is their outlet to share. Should I just quit my blog and set my Facebook to share with friends and family only and share away my thoughts and pictures on there?
Eeeek, I can’t believe I just wrote the words “Quit my blog”. Believe me the thought of quitting my blog scares me. I love my little haven of words and ramblings. Even though I don’t post as often as I used to do I still get a kick out of planning the next post and wondering what to write next.
There is a lot I don’t share too, loads. I have been keeping hold of a big share for a while now pondering when or how to share or even if I will at all. I’m definitely interested to hear your thoughts on over sharing before I make this decision.
I worry that I only tend to share the positives in my life, the day trips, the fun stuff. Life isn’t all about the fun though, there is a lot of rubbish and tears too. I don’t share the downs that often. Should I be? Will this make me more real.
For now, I think I’ll block these thoughts out and carry on as I am but one day as my son gets older I probably won’t want to share as much as I do. When he starts to realise what this is, with his own opinions and thoughts. Writing with no pictures of my kid. Maybe starting a whole new blog, all about just me.
Please say I am not alone in this worry of over sharing? Could a blog with no pictures be just as interesting to read? This one has no pictures, it feels weird not giving it a picture.
My main concern with my blog is not showing our daughter’s face. I recently went to a net aware talk by nspcc which opened my eyes (and i thpught i was net savvy!). That dark side of the net is very dark and no one is immune to it. I dont want my daughter to be embarrassed later in life. Thats why she gets a mention but my blog is now focussed not so much on her. But we’re all different and you can always unpublish a post later i suppose.
Carol Cameleon recently posted…Time for a dose of happiness in #HighlightsofHappy blog linky #41 ~ because life’s for the good stuff
As the Popple got older, I felt less comfortable sharing her pictures on my blog, so now I only share pictures that don’t show her whole face. It can make choosing images challenging (and Instagram a nightmare), but it makes me more comfortable. I use a lot of stock imagery, but I don’t think my blog has suffered much for it – I’m more word-focused anyway.
Personally, I think your blog is great and I’d hate it if you quit! But you have to figure out how much you’re comfortable sharing – that will vary for everyone. I know I’ll keep on reading no matter what! #FamilyFun
Squirmy Popple recently posted…A blogger’s guide to how to not give a shit about SEO
Oh don’t quit! If you’re not comfortable sharing family photo’s then don’t. There are lots of free generic photos that you can use to illustrate your posts if you wish to. It’s true that the internet has a dark side but sadly so do most other aspects of life.
Hope you figure it out.
#familyfun
suz recently posted…Book review: The Mystery of the Disappearing Underpants
Its always so hard to know what to do for the best. I suppose we should just stick with what we feel comfortable with. Technology moves so fast, by the time our little ones are grown up, Im sure it will all be totally different again so you can only do what is right for now. #FamilyFun
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It is such a hard one isnt it? I have teens who ask me NOT to share their photos all over the internet. I have to ask their permission for posting anything with them in it which is fine by me. Basically why should their image be all over the internet because of me? You do have to do what works for you but I do worry about families that share every moment. Thank you for a thought provoking post. #familyfunlinky
oldhouseintheshires recently posted…Garden Round Up May 1st.
I decided to blog without pics of my daughters face. I tend to do side on or back of head shots. It was after I read a really interesting US article about a grandad reminding his daughter than his grandson had a right to privacy. I share little funny toddler musings at the moment but definitely when she’s at school I will think harder about over sharing. I never say where we live, what her nursery is etc. I think we have a responsibility to be careful. I still worry About it all the time but like you love my space to write what I want. #FamilyFun
Susie at This Is Me Now recently posted…May wish list
I think this is something that crosses all of our minds sometimes. I tend to write a lot less about the teenager as a means of respecting her privacy, and am actually surprised at some of the things that she hasn’t objected to. She knows that she has veto power over anything that I write about her. So far there isn’t anything that I’m worried about the little objecting to later in life, but its something that I keep in mind. I try and keep references to where we are out, editing a recent picture of her school so it wouldn’t be identifiable. I don’t think that we are in any more danger than anybody else, just being bloggers. The way of the world now is that people put their lives online. There are sometimes consequences to oversharing, but I think that as long as we use some common sense, everything should be OK. I’m leaving for vacation in a few hours and am more concerned with the teen posting something on FB that might let people know our house is unoccupied for a few days than I am about sharing pictures or stories when we get back
jeremy@thirstydaddy recently posted…#ISleepTo Be Better
Gosh this is a biggy isn’t it. I definitely worry I over share when it comes to photos and information about my children, but then I do share a lot. I suspect as they age this may change. I hope I don’t live to regret the decisions I have made but for now it works and I am ok with it. Or at least I try not to think about it too deeply lol. I think you need to do what works best for you and what yoh feel most comfortable with, just figuring that out can be the hard part! #familyfun
Tammymum recently posted…FamilyFun…Week 33
I totally agree with this post and all of your worries. We have been through exactly the same thought process as you. It’s our job to protect our children. Choosing what you do and don’t share is entirely up to you. We really only share positives and days out, although sometimes we also add in things on our mind. I don’t think there’s anything wrong with that at all! #familyfun
Oh you are most definitely not alone in this thought process. It can quite literally grab me some days and make me feel quite sick that I wonder if I too should quit. There’s quite a lot of talk amongst instagrammers too about honesty – I have to be careful as I have three teens who follow my IG – i have to respect their privacy but some days if I’ve opened up too much that is when I want to shut down. Oh we are funny bunch us bloggers! Thought provoking post lovely xx #FamilyFun
justsayingmum recently posted…What Will Those Teen Boys Be Like?
This is a biggy and is something I think about regularly. I think when Little Man gets older, I may get more selective about which shots I choose to share. It’s a tricky one. #familyfunlinky
Jaki recently posted…Be Like A Tree – Wednesday Wisdom 25
I read someone’s comment that parent bloggers are creepy for sharing too much. I don’t agree. If you don’t want to read it, then don’t. I share my life experiences in the hope that it will make one person think they are doing ok. I share nothing that I think would embarrass my kids and as they grow older I’ll discuss my content with them. Matthew and Anya had youtube channels before I did! You are completely right that it is a record to look back on as a family. #familyfunlinky
Musings of a tired mummy…zzz… recently posted…National Star Wars Day (Thursday 4th May)
I had the same dilemma when I first decided to start my blog, when my little boy arrived, I almost avoided all forms of social media, but now I’m a lot more confident about my role as a mummy and would like to share the adventures we get up to. I think my boy would appreciate the effort I have put in to documenting our life together. Keep up the good work, I look forward to reading more from you. #familyfun
It’s not just you lovely! This is a constant tightrope to walk. I wrote a post about my c-section with the twins recently and though it got lots of views and I enjoyed writing it I felt a little deflated about sharing something so personal (tho actually what I shared was definitely not too much and I purposefully didn’t use photos that were from their birth). I only really share shots of the kids’ faces on my private FB and not on the blog and I quite like that…… Please don’t quit the blog! xx
Hayley@ Mission: Mindfulness recently posted…Giveaway: Win Tickets to The Mindful Living Show
oops…. #familyfunlinky xx
Hayley@ Mission: Mindfulness recently posted…Giveaway: Win Tickets to The Mindful Living Show
I think everyone is different so you need to ponder on this and eventually you will decide what is right for you. I am personally cautious about giving away locations: so I don’t mention anything about where in my town I life. I don’t mention where Little H goes to nursery. I don’t explicitly mention when we go on holiday. I’m also rather neurotic when it comes to sharing pictures of H. I always blur out her face for pictures on my blog. I don’t really post photos of her on social media – the only time I have it’s been the back of her head, or her legs. I wrote a post when she was young about how I would never put her on social media. I’ve made a few exceptions to that now by showing limited body parts but my husband and I took the decision to leave her face to her.
That said I love seeing everyone else’s photos of their kids. And it’s a joy to see them. It’s just ashame there are some people out there can abuse things.
Keep blogging though. I love reading your posts about your adventures! #FamilyFunLinky
Angela Watling (Life, Motherhood and Everything) recently posted…Five Favourite Finds #12
This is something that worries me, especially as they get older. I’m not sure what the answer is really. #FamilyFunLinky
Michelle Goodwin recently posted…Easy peasy chocolate cake
I think this comes down to an individuals decision. Each of us is unique and will have a different opinion on this I’m sure. #FamilyFun
Helena recently posted…Photography, Capsule Wardrobes and Hubby’s Birthday #LittleLoves
I worry about this too and wasn’t originally going to post pictures of my kids faces but that soon changed. I am careful not to use names or say where we live etc and there are far fewer pictures of my son as he’s older now and I let him choose what I share and what I don’t. I also never share anything that could embarrass them in the future and I tend to focus on the positive too as they are the moments I want to share and remember, not the bad. I think you just need to be true to yourself and share what you personally feel comfortable with and not worry about whether it will or won’t interest others. I personally love reading your posts and will continue reading whether you show pictures of the Robot or not x
#FamilyFun
Alana – Burnished Chaos recently posted…#funseekingkids Week 5 Round-Up
Don’t quit, adapt if you need to but you’re made for blogging!
I understand where you are coming from. I don’t share any pictures of myself and that’s a huge no no really. I’ve been told that it’s harder for people to connect to me. However, I keep to how I do it because I love it and it’s mine. Good luck with your decision whichever way it goes. Mainy x
#familyfun
Mainy recently posted…Turn your photos into awesome artwork with FotoJet. Giveaway and Review
This is something I give a lot of thought to as well. I tend to not show pictures of my kids faces often or too many personal details (OH is very private) but it can be hard… #familyfun
I read this the other day and you know my thoughts about your blog and not necessarily doing anything sudden yet! But it id definitely an issue and a thought. I always ask my son now if i can take his pic…at some point i’ll need to ask if i can put them online. I don’t feel as though i share a huge amount of him though..i do on my personal Facebook but less on my blog etc. It’s a conundrum. I feel for you with it whirring in your head. I imagine you are far from alone in worrying but it is such a personal decision about what and how much to share. #familyfun
Lucy at occupation: (m)other recently posted…A Day Out With Thomas
I have a really cute naked from behind shot of Ben waiting to get in the bath. but i wont even have it on my whatsapp let alone the internet incase it gets into the wrong hands.
I know I put my life on the internet and Bens, but there is a line and I always get approval from Hubby before I put something out there as he also has a say in what part of his childs life goes out there for everyone to see! #familyfun