About Nadine Silverthorne
Nadine Silverthorne’s love of journaling began in Grade One with the entry, “I am the greatest dancer!” Two babies (and countless diaper changes) later, she has found her home away from home as editor of SweetMama. Don’t miss her humorous bi-weekly accounts of the joys and pains of working while raising them fabulous.
Putting It Out There
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(May.19.09)
Last week I went to an event hosted by Norton that featured a number of statistics on how kids are using the Internet these days. It was attended by the usual mom-media types, but also by two police officer moms, who basically scared the bejeezus out of me. It got me thinking about putting my kids' faces here, on my personal blog, on Facebook -- whoa! The implications made me nervous.
Two days later, my sister was taking my son for an emergency pee in a diner, when she bumped into a friend. Our friend was dining with someone who commented on how cute my son was. "Oh you can see pictures of him if you like," our friend replied, "He's all over the Internet."
I was aghast upon hearing this, because it made the reality all too clear. My kids have become very public figures at an age where they can't voice their disapproval or their desire for privacy. But worse, my desire to share their loveliness with the Universe means their cute mugs might also be shared with the most vile characters on this planet.
It's just as easy to get lulled into a sense of security as it is to get pulled into a state of panic about the bad guys out there. I truly enjoy seeing people's new babies and their children growing up online (because life is too busy to keep up in the traditional sense). I hope that my friends and loved ones feel the same about seeing photos of my own kids. But has this world gotten so bad that this act of sharing the love is something we shouldn't be participating in?
To be honest, I have no clue. In a ME generation like ours, it's easy to forget that, well, it's not all about you. I will likely stop showing their faces on very public platforms, as well as refrain from divulging anything too personal. Eventually I will have to take down my personal blog documenting my journey as a new mom (so that those industrious, meany school kids don't try to make something over it).
What do you think? How much of your kids are you willing to share online? Do you think the threat of child pornographers stealing your child's images is over-hyped? Log in to let me know in the comments below.
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