For a ‘family blog’ I spend an awful lot of time talking about myself. When we had the idea for starting this platform, the kids had a ton of ideas they wanted to share. As time went on, they realized that sharing their anxieties, fears, behavioral issues and personal thoughts could bring on unwanted attention. Basically, kids suck and if anyone at school found personal thoughts from the kids online, they would use the information to bully them. I hate that this is the world that we live in, but I have to agree with them.
We always remind the kids that once something is posted to the internet, it’s never 100% gone. During the 2019-2020 school year we experienced this first hand after an emotional Tik Tok was posted, then deleted. I understand why, I really do. Pre-teens have it tough, and the internet *seems* like the perfect place to vent true feelings without facing a person in real life. Well, about five minutes after hitting ‘post’ the regret sunk in, and we took down the video. Too late. The recipient of the video already had screenshots. They took them to their own parents, who then took them to the school, who then (in a waaaaaaaaay irrational response) took the images to the police. My kid was spoken to by an officer, counselor, teacher, and parents. It turned into a big to-do over one quick, bad decision.
The bright side of that incident seems to be that my kids really took the lesson to heart. They are very careful now.. Which translates back to their desire to maintain some anonymity on our blog. It’s just another thing in life that works out better in your head than it does in physical execution. The desire to participate is definitely there, so I hope we can work out some balance, and do this thing as a family!
We are each fighting our own wellness battles, both physically and emotionally. There’s a lot on the plate, times six plates.. maybe even add in the three dog dishes and some pots and pans. Maybe, just maybe THEN we could get all of these problems plated appropriately.
Looking forward to sharing more from the family, and hoping to hear from your family in the comments. What on your plate this week?
Kate and the Kids
Kate and the Kids 