Will the ongoing trend of SM celebrative adulation of DC be positive or negative?

[Itsalittlebitwarm]

This may be long because I'm personally thinking it over...

Back in the day life was pretty basic, anything you wanted that was expensive you had to wait for birthdays/Christmas. Bedroom decor was posters from magazines, a record player, then a double deck tape player, which was amazing 👏! Parties were at home, or in a social centre for bigger ones, excitement at pass the parcel for a small bag of sweets, photos taken on a camera and often turned out badly!

Basically, life and families were centred on essentials and in even in loving families it wasn't the norm to say love you, it was something just knew, if lucky of course, as not all were at all.

So, point... I think it's come from American films and series where parents say things like love u honey, baby, that the influence has rubbed off here. This is a good thing, it's important for DC to know they're loved and especially for ND like mine to be spelt out.

My query is about some sort of need to post about how much you love your DC; how beautiful they look in their dresses you've put on them, piles of presents/banners for next day for a first birthday, a bloody elf in different positions/matching Christmas outfits etc.

And the ranting about teachers who have done something diabolical like not being able to find a none labelled jumper.

The list goes on, my DD is the centre of my world, little princess who expects everyone to adore her as we do or DS who doesn't appreciate no sword fighting in the classroom. This was sexist I know, but fundamentally examples.

Personally, we've kept the oh so sweet moments within whattsapp groups and for ourselves and now they're older they cringe and so glad we didn't post on SM. They will have a record of their lives with photos and videos and they're already grateful the world didn't see them.

Sadly to add, such joyous clips don't always reflect reality. I've seen so much, you probably have too, unhappy kids forced to pose and smile in front of a Christmas tree, on a beach, in uniform for the first day. This sort of overwhelm gor them to take photos to post is unnecessary.

I will just finish on one comparison of true life experience...

On a caravan holiday as kids we were captured with an old camera genuinely laughing, care free, rolling around in a field. This was the 1970s, we were happy to be away.

Treated my SIL (young single Mum) with 2 DC to a few days away to same place but within 5 mins walk to the new holiday centre. My word, they were so unhappy to walk, wouldn't even try out rolling down the grass bank with us, it was a case of 'I wouldn't dare do that'. Just on their phones complaining of lack of WiFi, which we did let them know about. We hoped we could bring some love of nature, real life, animals etc. (One was DC trying to hit a The upthrust is mum took a load of photos of DC and made them pose to say on SM they had a fantastic time discovering nature and loved the theme park.

So much not real stuff posted, such as DC about to throw a stone at a squirrel, other let loose to run wildly in the cafe.

However the adulation was more prevalent than boundary setting parenting. Aw so sweet she's running around and being adored and he's interacting with wildlife.

Single Mum was just because she is, no judgement, but she's one who doesn't have control of her kids that's all.

First off, I can only speak from personal experience here, but it's been normal in my family to tell each other, including the children, that we love each other. My grandparents were born in the 1900s and 1910s and my parents were told they were loved as children, as was I (by my parents and my grandparents). I think it's perfectly normal to find joy and delight in your children. I think humans have always done that, if they didn't why would we put up with them when they're also demanding, exhausting and annoying?!

But I think your complaint is more about the OTT performance of loving your child. Doing it to be seen and praised for. Especially when the SM highlight reel doesn't reflect reality? Yes it's very shallow. But there have always been people who look for approval and valadation to a greater extent than others.

As pp I grew up with parents saying I love you & I say it to my family & extended family all the time.

I don’t praise my dc on social media as it’s again not normal in my circle. Is it new or just the medium has changed? I always think the people who over share on SM are their ones who used to invite you to look at their holiday photos or the parent who is obsessed with their dc doing a competitive sport, SM is just a different outlet for them.