Alright, bear with me. I’m going out on a limb here. Remember in my intro video I told you (rather warned you – or, for those of you that love it, promised you) that the content on MotherlyBiz was gonna be “raw, unedited, candid and BLUNT”?

Okay, well here it is.

I’ve got beef with babies on Facebook.

Hold up. Who’s account is it again?

You know when you sign up for Facebook, you’re asked to create an account. That’s right, YOU are asked to create an account. Not your husband, not your dog, not your baby – YOU! So why then, do so many mamas feel the need to make everything on their Facebook profile about their babies and not themselves?

Remember, one day, your baby will be old enough to create a Facebook account of their own. And then they’ll be able to post all the pictures of themselves that they want. But, if you’ve already posted every last image you’ve ever taken of them, then you’re just stealing thunder woman! C’mon, leave a few out so your kid will have something to post that the world hasn’t already seen.

We know your kid is cute, but enough is enough.

Don’t get me wrong. I like seeing a cute baby photo just as much as the next person. After all, I am a mom. So yes, I get it. BUT, there are limits! Posting a little sneak peak for all to see every now and then is kosher but if you’re a multiple-times-a-day kinda mommy, I think it’s time for a little adjustment. Would you want to see someone else’s kid quite that often? Right. So tone it down a notch.

How about a little change of focus…

I’m willing to bet that most of the moms out there who flock to Facebook 5, 10, 15 times a day have mat leaves. They’re at home. They don’t have too many places to go. They’re bored. They sure as hell are NOT self employed. Why? Because everyone I know who’s self employed doesn’t have the time to horse around posting on social media – unless, of course, it’s for their business.

So here I challenge you…

I challenge you to do something else instead. The next time your precious little one is sleeping, you’re bored and you find yourself tempted to creep around on Facebook…STOP. Put your phone down. Step away from your laptop. Hide your tablet. And do something productive that you can actually feel good about.

• Make a healthy and delicious home cooked meal
• Puree some new compilations of super foods for your baby
• Read a book
• Research that new business idea you had the other day
• Call an old friend you haven’t spoken to in awhile

I guarantee you’ll feel better afterwards.

I think Betty White said it best:

“I didn’t know what Facebook was, and now that I do know what it is, I have to say, it sounds like a huge waste of time. I would never say the people on it are losers, but that’s only because I’m polite. People say ‘But Betty, Facebook is a great way to connect with old friends.’ Well at my age, if I wanna connect with old friends, I need a Ouija Board. Needless to say, we didn’t have Facebook when I was growing up. We had phonebook, but you wouldn’t waste an afternoon with it.”

Plastering your baby’s face all over social media is foolish.

Forget about my annoyance with baby-infested Facebook feeds and let’s get serious for a second. Times have changed. The world has become a truly f*cked up place. Information isn’t private anymore. Hackers can get access to anything they want. Terror plots are no longer an overseas problem…they’re everywhere. Scary people commit crimes every single day. Pedophiles troll social media sites to choose their next victim.

You’re not just posting pictures for your family and friends to see. However unlikely it may be and no matter how far-fetched it may sound…you might just be putting your baby at risk.

10 reasons NOT to post your baby on Facebook (or any social media, for that matter).

1. It’s a waste of time.
2. It’s useless effort.
3. There are a million other things to do.
4. There are a million other ways to share photos with the people closest to you.
5. It’s really just a way to show off, to cry for attention and to get validation from other people. (And now ask yourself, “Do I really need that?”)
6. It’s not your baby’s Facebook account – it’s yours.
7. You’re robbing your baby of their right to decide whether or not they want to be on social media.
8. It’s an annoyance to others. (And no, I’m not talking about the mamas who make the odd posting or profile pic change…I’m talking about the ones who post nothing but their beautiful babies ALL. THE. TIME.)
9. It’s not worth the risk.
10. You and your family are better than that.

 

Who’s with me on this one?

Even if you’re not…put in your two cents and let’s start a conversation about it.