Let Me Explain Myself...

Today someone posted anonymously a link on my blog to a YouTube video entitled 'Why Parents Who Over Share On Social Media Ruin Their Kids'. Last week a national magazine contacted me about an article they wanted to run on bloggers who publicly shame their children. Both items related directly to 'Wicked Wednesdays' which is something I run on a weekly basis. Parents can pop on my blog or in the comments on my Facebook page photos of their kids doing something a bit different to what we usually see on social media. Could be a tantrum, could be a messy home. Generally they are funny and mainly focus on children getting angry in the most ridiculous of situations (meeting Peppa, being given ice cream and so on).

But I started to wonder. Do people thing I am shaming my kids on the internet? Do people think that I am trying to ruin them? Do people who don't know me think I am putting no thought into what I am doing when I post a photo of my son crying "just because" we are in Thomas Land? Should what's put out there only portray my children in the most perfect of light? When they are older and they are looking back should they only see the perfect moments? The times when my love for them was over brimming and I took a shot of a moment that was so precious to me it will remain in a frame on the wall forever.

Most of the time you are amazing

Or should I also once a week, that's 52 photos out of hundreds maybe even thousands I take, show a moment when they were less than perfect. When my love for them was still over brimming and I took a shot of a moment that was so precious to me as it will highlight to them that sometimes they could be stroppy and you know what? That's OK. When my daughter can't get her first born to sleep, or my son is struggling with my grandson who is refusing to be potty trained I can go "Look! That was you. You were like it too and see how marvellous you have turned out! It's all going to be OK!".

Most of the time you are wonderful

If you read my blog posts and look between the lines you will see that most of them relate to my failings. Most of them point to my inadequacies. Sure I may highlight that toddlers have tantrums. But that's a given. Or that nits are horrendous but I would have thought that was obvious. I talk about how I'm crap at 'normal' Mum things, I laugh at my inability to be bang on trend and how that my marriage can sometimes be summed up in a passive aggressive text. My children are wonderful and amazing creatures that have changed me for the good forever but like tantrums and nits isn't that also obvious? Isn't that also a given?

A tiny amount of the time you are INSANE. But that's OK

Or do I need to shout it from the rooftops at all times? Do I need to stop writing about things I love and make me smile for fear that at some point a potential law firm will say "Nope you're not getting this job as you once had a photo of you lying on the floor in Butlins when you were 2". Perhaps I am oversharing, perhaps I am a bit too much, perhaps I am not everybody's cup of tea. But you don't have to read my blog, or look at my instagram. You don't have to watch my videos (however you may want to as you've never seen such happy kids). I am giving you permission to totally ignore me and my little world where I think tantrum pictures are possibly the most adorable thing ever and will probably be some of my very, VERY favourite pictures to look back on when I'm old and grey.

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