I’m a sharer.
I love sharing pictures of what I’ve been doing, where I’ve been, who I’ve been there with and pretty much anything else I can think of.
However, since Rupert has arrived I’ve had to make some important decisions. How much do I share? Who do I share it with and how often?
I started this blog because originally I wanted to get my feelings out and write about whatever came to my crazy head. Then when we found out we were pregnant I changed the blog from ‘Ellis in Wonderland’ to ‘Dad’s the Word’ and I documented our journey through the experience.
The difference is, other than writing less about my shitty thoughts and more about shitty nappies, was that I was suddenly sharing something a lot more personal.
No longer was I writing about the latest talking point and captioning it with a random photo, but I was writing about my son and the picture that went next to it was him.
Every day I look through Facebook and Instagram and I’m met with a stream of people wanting to show off their lovely children (sometimes not so lovely) and it makes me wonder.
First of all my thought process is that I want to show off my pictures of Rupert. I am so proud of not only him but of Jess as well. I want people to see his beautiful smile, his crop of wonderful hair and the cheeky/funny things he does every day.
The problem is that with putting your baby’s pictures out in the public eye you don’t just invite well-wishers and heart eye emojis. You also invite sickos who want to take the pictures for other means.
Now I’m not saying that is reason to be overly cautious or to never show off your children’s pictures. I’m just saying that since I’ve become a Dad it’s made me think twice about putting Ru’s picture out so readily.
I’m stuck in a dilemma. I want this blog to reach a wide audience but I also want to respect my wife. J’s social media accounts are full of people she knows, there are no strangers and no one who has randomly added her because she used the #yum.
My Facebook is like that now. I am friends with people who I genuinely know or whose opinion and life I’m interested in. My Instagram WAS different. I was obsessed with chasing numbers for my blog, chasing followers so that my ego could be boosted I guess.
Now I just want to share Rupert with those who are genuinely interested and those who I trust. If that means that only 30 people read each blog I write then so be it, but at least I will know that when my blog goes viral it will have started from the right place.
