Posting pics of your sick children on facebook

[NeedMoMoney]

I'm sure there's probably been threads on this before, but it just irritates me that parents (mostly mums) post pics of their kids who are clearly unwell e.g covered in sores, snotty faces crying etc...for likes on Facebook. There not even asking for advice for their illness just putting pics up of "poor 'such and such' felling I'll today"...and that's it! I'd absolutely hate to find out my parents did this to me! Leave the poor kids alone! their picture doesn't have to be shared at all!

I think it’s horrible. But not just the photos from hospital. It’s also when parents start posting pictures of their children, from the very first ultra sound all through out their lives. Photos of everything, eating breakfast, on holiday, being unwell, having a tantrum, being asleep, having a party - every single thing about that child is documented through photos and the child has no say, has given no consent for this! And for the most part, those photos are out there for ever. If my parents did that to me I would be utterly livid. Selfish, self obsessed parents.

Text, WhatsApp? No need for it to be on Facebook, especially with photos. it’s about attention.

It's called "Munchausen's by Facebook"

At least that's what I call it.

@SnoozyLucy7 It's The Truman Show realised.

Ugh I hate this too. I know someone who’s a bit of an attention seeker anyway but took it too far imo when she posted a series of pics of her child in an ambulance during/after an asthma attack. Poor thing looked so distressed and needed his mum to just be there for him.

Some Instagrammers have literally made careers out of posting hospital shots.

I agree, I hate it.

"With the hospital ones, it’s an easy way of keeping the extended family updated on a lengthy stay in hospital. You often get numerous texts / messages asking how they are today, any updates etc. Means one update and no preference in order of telling people the latest updates (immediate family aside of course.)"

This is nonsense. A family update doesn't need to be public or include a photo.

I completely agree with the OP. It's pathetic and disgusting that some parents use their children as a means to an end on social media. I want to scream at them, "Have some fucking respect for your child!"

I agree mostly, but I think the very occasional carefully chosen picture isn't necessarily a problem.

We didn't put up pictures of our such child recovering from major brain surgery.
Or surviving meningitis
Or the many, many complications which she had and continues to have

We put up on my fb (which is quite tightly controlled) a picture of her having a cuddle with us, half an hour after we were told her brain tumour could be cured, because of the pure emotion we felt, and as part of us sharing our news. And another of us grinning outside the ward, going home nearly 2 months later.

Certainly none of her looking poorly. None for attention seeking. Nothing humiliating, or embarrassing. Just a family photo that happened to be in hospital, because that's where we lived.

We were actually in hospital last night again, after being ill for nearly 2 weeks. No mention on Facebook, no photos.

I completely agree. I don’t allow any photos of my children on social media.

everyone I know knows this too and a few weeks ago I found out someone had posted pictures of my children to their social media.

I agree that they can’t consent. I asked them to take them down and to be fair they did do that. My children are only young and trust me in 10 years time employers are going to be googling and checking things before offering you a job (if they don’t already)

Many employers already do.

Someone I went to school with posted a picture of his daughter in the back of an ambulance with oxygen mask on. I thought that was highly invasive and unnecessary

Not keen on it with kids, with people who can't consent or where it's vagueBooking so that people will ask 'whats up hun' and can then be told 'inbox me hun'... ugh.

I have posted from hospital myself, but it is to let friends/clients know whats happening and where I am, when I'll be out, that I haven't expired. No vagueBooking, if I am in hospital the last thing I want is to be fielding loads of DM's asking whats going on.

I do tend to take a pic though rarely of my face, usually something obviously hospitally but not identifying anyone - because FB tends to hide posts without a pic and no one sees them!

In the past I left it to OH to let people know but he has zero ability to determine who needs to know and who doesn't and what they need to know etc so its easier this way, one post informs everyone.

The pictures of elderly parents with dementia or dying always make me shake my head in despair. Those pictured are unlikely to have/be unable to give their consent.

The issue over social media, boundaries and respect needs formally teaching. This cross-cuts so much of ours and our children's lives.

I find I'm older and missed the whole social media thing. It's noticeable from other school mums for example who post their life on it and if you look at mine you'd think I'm dead 🤣

I hate the ones of a child with a sick bowl next to them, poor kids.

If my dcs are sick and I'm posting a story on insta I might post just their hand on my arm or something and say we are having a bit of a time and all feeling rubbish. I definitely don't post sick bowls, hospital shots etc. so wrong.

A family member posted a picture online of his children singing a song to their dying mother. I can’t say much more but the video went viral on the internet. She died the next day.

I think that social media has normalised a level of self obsession and narcissism that folk have lost sight of what constitutes normal behaviour and integrity these days.

When the kids or I have been poorly in hospital… it never occurred to me to grab my phone out and take a selfie…. I don’t get those who tag themselves in the hospital, let alone those posting pics of poorly kids/ relatives on social media…

I absolutely hate this!!

Imagine feeling your absolute worst and so vulnerable and someone takes a photo of you and spreads it all over SM just so they can get a bit of attention for themselves.

Why? Just why? What's it for? Who is it for?

My friends generally @squashcakes - as I have a limited profile, and friends that like to check in on me.

I hate it and would never, ever do it.

A lady I used to work with posted a photo of her two year old covered in chickenpox a few years back. The girl was smiling at the camera but absolutely covered in pox... it was a lighthearted post along the lines of 'Ah poor X, covered top to toe but still smiling! Looks like a fun week coming up!'.

Later that week the baby died from complications. Obviously one of the horrific, very rare cases where chickenpox gets serious. But the thought of that lightheaded post and photo she posted and then her having to look back at that after she died gives me absolute chills.

I've got a Facebook "friend" who posts everything and anything about their kids. My "friend" is attractive and very slim and also posts loads of pics of herself in scantily clad clothing alongside her kids, pretending the post is about their child when it's obviously a show off 'look at my abs' type brag.

I find it insanely annoying as I'm only active for a few groups and she pops up all the time. I want to unfriend her but I have to see her regularly and dont want bad blood.

Either she's very insecure or over secure. I'm not sure which one to be honest.

I suspect most parents who share about their child, unless doing so at particularly poignant times, are doing so to big themselves up rather than their kids.