An Expectation of Privacy for the Most Vulnerable

I am writing this in reaction to a fellow writer who changed her kid's names for her public writing. I want to praise her! I thought I was the only one who protected her children from the glare of the spotlight. It is a rule in my house that I do not discuss my family or children in public. While I do drop a few cute tidbits here and there, I firmly believe that the littlest members of my household have a right to privacy. First, we all know there are predators out there. My daughter, in particular, is very, very charismatic and beautiful. I don't want her photographed and out on display for unscrupulous people to see. Second, my children did not actively ask me to talk about them in public. It's one thing if I used social media for private use, but I use it professionally, which means I have connections to over 1,600 people most of whom I don't know. I also treat my children much the same in my newsletters and blog. I have no desire to exploit them or say something that while I might find harmless as an adult, they might not later on or it might somehow embarrass them (and God only knows what a kid can get embarrassed about). Remember, the Internet is like nuclear waste: it never goes away. While some of you might think I'm uptight, I don't care. The protection of the most vulnerable people in my life matters more. I have chosen a public life -- they have not. And until they do you won't be reading about them anytime soon.