Sharenting. I suppose you heard and read about this online right? If you haven’t, it’s okay. You’re not late or uninformed. It’s just that in today’s world, it’s so easy to coin a new term out of convenience and next thing you know it’s already accepted by many and eventually gets included in the dictionary (which by the way I don’t know how and where to get the most updated version).

Sharenting is a new word formed from sharing and parenting. True to it’s origin, it means sharing about parenting online through your social media accounts. It connotes oversharing about one’s child and parenting life. Parents who do this are called sharents. This includes parents posting images and life of their children online in a blog, Facebook Account, Instagram Account, etc. At this point in time, a lot of sharents seem to come from ages 35 and above. But the new generation of parents are doing it to the extreme.

As parents I guess we should know what to post and what not to post. But did you know that sometimes a cute picture can be an accessory to something against your child? How? For example, in the future when your hild gets bullied is being bullied and people search for his name through a hashtag, they’ll find his/her baby or toddler picture in a chicken costume then all the more there are things they can laugh about your child. Small things but can be a source of something bigger in the future.

Scared to be sharents and overdo social media sharing? You can take these tips:

1. Don’t overshare. Don’t post important private and personal information like where does your child go to school, where you live, places you regularly visit, details about your business, and other personal things.

2. Nude pictures. We know how cute and adorable your child is even without fashion pieces. Remember that the internet is a tricky place. People can just grab photos and use them anywhere for whatever purpose and once something is out there, it will be there for maybe forever.

3. Be mindful of others. When you post a photo of your child with other children, always remember that the parents of the children your child is with may not approve of having their child’s photo out in the open or for other people to see. Yes, there are quite a number of parents who are sensitive about this.

4. You are building your child’s image and identity online and offline. Whatever you’ll be posting and sharing will be your child’s images even until he grows up.

5. Always remember who your audience is. Sometimes when we’re caught up in the moment we just post. Be sensitive to other people’s emotions and status in life when you do. Your captions may hurt some people or maybe give some people the wrong impression. For example, a close friend may be grieving after a miscarriage. Posting about how blessed you are to have so many kids maybe can really hirt the family more.

6. Turn off your location. Predetors and people who want to take advantage pf information are always present online so to be safe, always turn off your location unless you left the place already, a past photo, you need the location for promotion or to prove a point. Always decide for the good and the safest for you and your family.

7. You can ask your family and friends not to tag themselves in the photo of your children because if they do, people (their friends amd followers) can see the photo of your child easily and will be viewed by a bigger audience.

It’s not really dangerous to share milestones in our lives and photos of our kids. But we can be mindful and careful for our own good and our children. It’s not bad to share what makes us so happy or proud. Some bloggers like me share stuff about my family, what we do, what my kids are doing and how we bond. I write and share to help and give people tips. The most private and intimate moments of our family are captured but not all of it are shared online. The snapshots and videos in our social media accounts does not really say how our way of life is.

A lot of parents today use social media as their outlet to share their financial capabilities or status, share every moment of their social life, every moment of every day of their child. We cannot blame and judge people who share. We all have different reasons. We are all spectators who ate entertained by social media but let’s not forget how overuse of social media can be harmful too in our subconscious self.