The social media etiquette for moms in 5 steps
Just a confession: I don't know if I'm the biggest child-friendly person on earth. Probably not. Well, actually, I'm very sure I'm not. My Barbies used to remain childless with Ken, babysitting was never my thing, and my heart didn't melt at the sight of Anne Geddes photos. Still doesn't, by the way. Children I don't know are exactly that for me: I don't know them. But the children I do know, I have that age now, that there are kids in my surroundings, I think they're great.
In my group of friends, there are already a number of moms, and each of them has managed to create cute mini versions of themselves. So in that sense, I am a child-friendly person: I just need to know them. Anyway, friend or not, there is a certain etiquette you all need to adhere to. Online then. Or well, do you at least want to try? For every time a ‘rule’ is broken, you will receive a collage of my cat photos in return. Then you'll learn quickly, I think.
Do not change your online profile picture to a photo of your child
This applies to Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, but also to WhatsApp. If your child is old enough to create a profile themselves, I would love to be their online friend and then I will like a photo of him/her with the same love. But not now. It's YOUR profile, so keep it your photo. We all know you have a cute child, but soon we might forget what you look like because you're erasing yourself from all your accounts.
Be aware that milestones for you may not be milestones for others
Ah, your child can finally walk? Very impressive. Happy for you. I would have been happier if I hadn't already seen all the ‘attempts-to’ videos beforehand.
Do not share every photo of your child online
Today I learned that there is even a term for this: ‘sharenting’. In other words, the excessive sharing of photos on, for example, your Facebook. Don't do it. Personally, I don't understand why you want to continuously show your child to all your Facebook friends, but that's — again — personal. I completely understand that you're proud, but that excess of photos... I don't get it. That's why I think it's a great idea that some new moms and dads create an Instagram account for their baby. Private, of course, and then you can post all your photos online and only the people who are really interested will see them. Win-win.
Photos with snotty noses or other messinessid
I can't even come up with an explanation for this. And unfortunately, I see it happening quite often. Why? WHY?
Only updates about your child(ren) postedn
I follow you or am friends with you on Instagram, Facebook, or any medium. Occasionally an update about yourself is much more welcome than knowing that your baby has taken a bath for the first time. And again: it's YOUR account. Just because your profile picture is no longer yours: your name is still there (for now).
By the way, I want to add a side note to number 3. That sharenting is not just for kids, you know. It can also be food photos, or — like with me — photos of your cat. So I also need to adhere to this etiquette a bit.
