As much as we're all dying to see them, it doesn't sound like we'll be viewing Kristen Bell's baby photos anytime soon. (What a bummer.)
Unlike other celebrities, she and her baby daddy Dax Shepard have opted against putting their precious little Lincoln's image out there for the world to see. For now, they're keeping her all to themselves, and their reasoning for doing so not only makes total sense -- but it also may make you think twice about how much of your baby you're willing to show off.
Basically, she and Dax don't think it should be up to them to decide whether or not other people get to see their baby -- they think that's her choice. They don't want to make her a "public figure" unless that's something she wants to be, so it sounds like we may not catch a glimpse of this kid until she's 18. (Kidding. I'm sure it will be much sooner than that.)
And while their situation is different than most parents, being that they're famous and all -- it still got me thinking about whether it's fair for us to share our own babies' photos online as often as we do.
Since my son was an infant, I've really had no hesitation about sharing his photos all over the social media space, including on Facebook, Twitter, my personal blog, and even on The Stir. And I feel kind of bad saying this -- I never really thought about how he might feel about me posting his photo down the road, or whether or not he could possibly object to it.
But taking Kristen and Dax's point into consideration -- OMG ... what if he does wind up having a problem with it or being upset about it when he gets older? What if he gets all bent out of shape about me posting pictures of him when he had no say in the matter? He's a pretty headstrong kid, so I can totally see him bringing this up at a later date and wondering why I didn't consult him first. And somehow I'm guessing "because you couldn't talk at that point, dude" isn't going to fly as an excuse.
Our babies may be just babies, but they're also tiny individuals, so I guess we just have to keep their feelings in mind with every photo we post and hope that we don't scar them for life and cause them to absolutely loathe us down the road.
Huh. That's pretty much the case with every parenting decision we make, right?
Do you share your baby's photos online?
Image via Splash