Are you a Momarazi? A Paparazzi Parent?

Last Mother's Day had me wondering what kind of mom I was - Tiger, Chopper or Free range when Tiger mom was all the rage. It is crazy how media makes you question yourself! This Mother's Day I'm wondering if I'm a Momarazi, a parent that has turned into a Paparazzi Parent.

momarazzi. Moms who line the field or court at a sporting event to photograph their kids with their high priced cameras and telephoto lenses like the paparazzi.

We all leave our little digital footprints around that can be tracked if someone chooses to. We share our coffee and our bucket list with the world. We tell them what we like, where we shop, where we go, what we do... We trust our digital community that we live in, not every one online is a pedophile or a cyber stalker but it is better to be safe and use common sense and some social etiquette. There is always a hesitation when you put your kids out there into the unknown. This made me wonder where should I draw the line, when to just put the camera down and enjoy the moment and when to capture and catalogue them, more importantly how to make sure I don't put my kids and family in jeopardy. I realized I have to establish some ground rules here - some of these are just common sense and social etiquette but better to have some rules nevertheless!

1. Do not post pictures of other kids, unless you can get the consent of their family. How often can you track down a parent to ask for approval before posting their picture so easiest thing to do is crop them out. If it is friends' kids make sure you get their approval before posting the pic.
2. Ask your child if it is ok to post the pic - teenagers and tweens would appreciate you asked them and might actually pose for you. If they say No respect it.
3. Don't post picture of kids or family in compromising situations, Ask yourself - "how would my child feel about this photo in 20 years"? Last you want is a kid being bullied because of a holiday photo online.
4. Don't post pictures real time - Post it at night after the activity or the next day. No one needs to know you are headed into the woods for a hike or you are going to be at the café or bar at a certain time.
5. Take a picture before the meal and let it be- post it after you finish your meal. There are restaurants and chefs who get annoyed at people taking food pictures and then complaining the food is cold. Appreciate the effort that went into making that plate. Enjoy the meal! Eat it before you tweet it!
6. Blur out car license plates and Hotel room numbers or House addresses or other identifying information.
7. Be creative with the pictures, you don't always have to have the faces of the kids plastered smack center of the photo. Take pictures of the them from a distance so you can capture the location with the kids in it.
8. Don't geotag pictures close to home, school or other places frequented by the kids, that could place your child at those locations easily, you have no control over who looks at the pictures.
9. Take a social media off day during the trips - and enjoy the surrounding without the social media even if only for a day or a few hours.
10. Cherish and Relish every moment with your kids, because tomorrow they will be older and you can never have this day again with your children!