A few weeks ago one of my favorite women in the world asked me if I would guest post on her blog – Hey Girl Hey! I was completely honored! Y’all her blog concept is AMAZING!!! She invites incredible women from the many diverse aspects of her life to share what’s on their hearts and minds. Some posts are about momming, some are about marriages, some are about the relationships we have with ourselves, some are about what’s going on in the world, etc. etc.! Below is the content of my post that I shared, but I HIGHLY recommend you check out this uplifting, supportive, “exactly what I needed to read today” blog!
I was recently scrolling through my personal Instagram account. And yes, I have two, one is private for my friends and family only and one is for my public blog….{pause for shameless plug – you should definitely be following The Monogrammed Mom too!}…ok back to the main plot line….
So I was scrolling through my personal Instagram account and I noticed that except for the stray picture of my husband and I, occasional photos of my pup, or the random “throw-back” shout-out pic to one of of my girlfriends, my Insta feed of over 700 photos is 99.9% pictures or videos of my son.
Considering he is just cresting over 700 days of life, this really caught me by surprise. My inner monologue immediately went something like this…
“Whoa, is this normal?”
“Surely everyone else shares this much….”
“Wait, do I have a serious problem?”
“Of course you don’t, he is the most handsome, smart, funny, kind, charismatic boy in the world, everyone wants to see his every move…. “
“Hmm… Is this something I should get help for….let me check Dr. Google…”
“Why is my Google search finding all of these blog posts about why moms are choosing NOT to share their children’s photos on social media??????”
“HOLD ON — Is this TV crew following my day-to-day activities really not here to film me for part of their documentary, but in reality my friends and family are planning an Intervention for me to be broadcast on the acclaimed A&E TV show?!?”
After I made a mental note to wear my favorite dress and put on extra concealer on any day someone coaxed me to a ‘final interview’, I really started to reflect on this issue and took a several day break from social media. At the end, I came to one conclusion…I am a chronic ‘over-sharer’…and have no plans to stop!
Before I get started on my reasons for why, I put this out there as my full disclaimer: I understand every parent has their own opinion on this topic and this is my own personal opinion. I do recognize there are concerns about digital privacy and without the right safe-guards in place your personal information and details, including your child’s photos, could be compromised. And lastly, I understand that like with any with any personal topic (sex, politics, religion, etc.), some people like to keep things close to the vest….but as I’m sure you’ve gathered by now, that’s just not my style — stay tuned for my next blog pot on my favorite sexual positions for the 2016 election season…just kidding!
So without further ado, here are the reasons for why I am a chronic ‘over-sharer’….and have no plans to stop!
#1: Because social media is the medium through which my friends and family, who live near and far, keep up with us. While both sets of his grandparents see him weekly, all of his aunts, uncles, cousins, extended family, and so on live out of state (or country). Every week he is learning something new, doing something new, saying something new. He is constantly changing and growing. If you didn’t see him for a few months, you’d really miss out on a lot. But, by posting pictures and videos of him, everyone can share in both the special and day-to-day moments with us. My mom’s cousin who lives in Canada told me once that when she is having a rough day, but gets to see our pictures and watch our life, it just makes her so so happy. 🙂 With that type of impact, I could really just stop my list right here.
#2: Because social media is my own personal electronic time capsule. It is the repository of every photo album I have at home in the palm of my hand. At heart, I am Melissa Joan Hart’s character in Can’t Hardly Wait… just a girl obsessed with cataloging and treasuring all of her memories. I love flipping back through past posts and photos on social media. I’m probably the most frequent user of Facebook’s “On This Day” feature…not as often to re-share, but to remember, laugh, smile, cry. A time capsule opened and found only to be empty is a pretty big let down, so I make sure to keep my own full.
#3: Because my son is my life now. The whole reason I am on social media is to share about my life and keep up with the lives of others I care about. Isn’t that why we all log into our outlet of choice(s) weekly, daily, hourly? (p.s., If your answer is “D – none of the above, I log-in more frequently”, we should definitely be friends) Instagram (and others) are my 2016 version of a wallet full of pictures. And in case anyone is thinking, “I still have a wallet full of pictures!”, you should meet my husband for whom I print out wallet-size photos on a semi-regular basis. He has a flip phone and no Instagram account. We’re basically polar opposites.
#4: Because he is my answered prayer. My living proof that God hears us and has the most amazing plans for our lives. He is the miracle that lives under my roof. He gives me so much hope in all that is possible and all that is to come in the future. And, why wouldn’t I want to share that testimony with the world?