Have you ever seen single parents who post their kids’ photos on their online dating profiles?

We have.

Recently, Dr. Leah wrote about the truly startling pictures she’d seen on eHarmony.

We deliberately did not mention posting your photos with kid(s) — because this is a whole different subject.

After chatting with other single parents here, we’ve discovered that many of you have passionate opinions about posting pictures of your kid(s) on dating sites.

As a parent, you know what’s best. But here’s how your thoughts seem to break down:

It’s best to be cautious. While we, as single parents, post our own pictures online, we do not include photos of our kids. This seems like a blatant invitation to… (choking on this word – so frightening!).  Unfortunately, pedophiles do spend their wasted lives in front of the computer screen, looking for victims. So, obviously, we never post pictures of our kid(s).

Let’s get to the point, but with boundaries. We are single parents who want to show others — through photos — that we’re a “package deal.” Why waste time? We might choose photos of our kids, without showing their faces up close. We want to screen out people who have no interest in family. So, we might include faraway snapshots of us that clearly illustrate the fact that our kids are #1. Our profile also highlights shared family activities as “favorites.”

My kids show the best of me, so why not show them off? Our kids represent the very best of who we are. What a better way to show who we area than to share our “big kid moments,” like the first day of school, graduation, or winning the trophy? That’s why we include close up photos taken on vacation with captions like, “At the Grand Canyon – we had a great time!” The take-away message is, “This is my world and welcome to it.”

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In short, single parents who post photos of their kids seem to do so as a “screening device.”

Parents who do not post photos of their kids are maintaining privacy — and being very cautious.

Did we cover every point of view? Did we miss something?

We’d love to know: Is your kid in the picture… or not?

If you’re dating online, do you post your kids in your profile?

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