5 ms·

When I'm not sure about something to do with my now-toddler, I ask myself: what would 15- and 30-year-old (insert kid's name here) want me to have done right no

When I'm not sure about something to do with my now-toddler, I ask myself: what would 15- and 30-year-old (insert kid's name here) want me to have done right now? Make him wear his detested glasses so he doesn't develop a lazy eye? Yes! Record and post him having a breakdown over not getting to play in the sink as long as he thinks he should have? No!

spondylosaurus 3y ago
That sounds like a pretty foolproof way to approach it. In those specific examples, too, one is clearly for his benefit (unless he wants to grow up with a lazy eye...) and the other would solely be for yours. Not that I think parents should or need to be faultless perfect martyrs with no needs of their own, but social media clout means nothing to a two-year-old and is 100% for parents' gratification.
- cyanydeez 3y ago
  The universe will always produce a better fool In this case, these parents will tell themselves that they'll make their children famous/rich.
Obscurity4340 3y ago
I mean, let's not throw the toddler (recording the freakout) out with the bathwater (posting it). They and family might enjoy the video as one of those "I was such an adorable little shit" kind of retrospective, privately of course.
hn92726819 3y ago
I think this is almost enough, but the child might not want any pictures on the internet. What would you say about a regular picture showing his face? He might not want his face online at all.
- MandieD 3y ago
  I haven't posted any of him, and ask friends and family not to post any pictures with him in them, even if they're pretty sure their Facebook/Instagram/whatever settings would keep it from getting around. Once I think he's able to understand what the internet is and the ironic permanence of things you later wish would go away (and the fleeting nature of things you'd love to see again in a few years), he can start making his own choices. However, I'm not going to judge parents who post normal, happy, non-embarrassing kid pictures sometimes. He might end up standing out as a bit of an oddball for not having any publicly-available pictures from his childhood.

spondylosaurus 3y ago

That sounds like a pretty foolproof way to approach it. In those specific examples, too, one is clearly for his benefit (unless he wants to grow up with a lazy eye...) and the other would solely be for yours. Not that I think parents should or need to be faultless perfect martyrs with no needs of their own, but social media clout means nothing to a two-year-old and is 100% for parents' gratification.

cyanydeez 3y ago
The universe will always produce a better fool In this case, these parents will tell themselves that they'll make their children famous/rich.

Obscurity4340 3y ago

I mean, let's not throw the toddler (recording the freakout) out with the bathwater (posting it). They and family might enjoy the video as one of those "I was such an adorable little shit" kind of retrospective, privately of course.

hn92726819 3y ago

I think this is almost enough, but the child might not want any pictures on the internet. What would you say about a regular picture showing his face? He might not want his face online at all.

MandieD 3y ago
I haven't posted any of him, and ask friends and family not to post any pictures with him in them, even if they're pretty sure their Facebook/Instagram/whatever settings would keep it from getting around. Once I think he's able to understand what the internet is and the ironic permanence of things you later wish would go away (and the fleeting nature of things you'd love to see again in a few years), he can start making his own choices. However, I'm not going to judge parents who post normal, happy, non-embarrassing kid pictures sometimes. He might end up standing out as a bit of an oddball for not having any publicly-available pictures from his childhood.