I was thinking……I can’t imagine my Dad sitting there typing about what a brat I was being on a certain day, or something crazy in my life, or pictures of my naked behind in a bathtub, and publicly announcing it on an Internet site…I wonder how it would feel if I was younger, 20 years from now to look back and read what he REALLY thought about being a father.
I know blogs, forums, and social networking sites are a way to bring mothers together, but do you think it will have an impact on our kids to know every thing that every went wrong – or right – with raising them? We voice our opinions to connect, but will these opinions change our children’s opinion of US as they get older and search their name and maybe find out about relationship trouble, and parenting mistakes, and opinions on breastfeeding and working mothers and more..and if so, do you think our children will appreciate the outlet or be angered by such a public outpouring of personal information.
Have you ever thought about it? Is the mystery of parenting gone? Have we lost our biggest allie?
trisha
I think it just depends on what you are saying and how you are saying it. We have to vent! My kids like to see their photos on my blog and they love to dance to my music so I think they think it is fun…for now.
I hadn’t thought about it quite like that, although I do make it a point to hopefully not blog about anything that will be embarrassing to my kids if they were to read it. I don’t use their real names in my blog, so you wouldn’t be able to google their names and find it (and neither will their friends, lol).
Oh I think it very much will. My daughter watches me all the time as I try to type up my blog. Sometimes, she’s so intense that I lose my thoughts. She’s even asked me how long before she can start a blog. I told her “when I think it’s safe” and “when you actually have something to say”. I meant the last one in no form of a bad manner. It’s just at her age, she doesn’t even like keeping up with her journal!!
I’ve begun to think about it and wonder if they’ll be able to find the posts once they’re old enough. I wonder if I go in and change names now if the first ones (with their real names) would ever be findable. I’m pretty honest on my blog about them and I’d hate to hurt their feelings.
I haven’t thought of it like that, but once they are in college and out of the house they can feel and think however they choose about me.
I agree, I think there is a boundary to keep when discussing the kids in public (or cyberspace). I blame this for my writer’s block. Coming up with stuff about me that is interesting is jsut tedious. My children/DH/family in general on the other hand could be a constant source of material! (I mention them in my blog, but really only surface level stuff.)
I have thought about it. I live near the Gosselins of Jon and Kate Plus 8 fame, and there is a LOT of local criticism of their “selling out” their kids to pay for the lifestyle that they have. (Not saying that I agree or disagree with that, just that it’s sort of a local consensus.) That has really gotten me to thinking about my daughter’s privacy. Do I share too much? I do talk to my husband about things I post, just to run them by him. I guess time will tell what my daughter thinks.
I think the real test will come when my daughter is in school. I hope my blog doesn’t give other kids a reason to tease her. That’s my worst case scenario, I guess.