I’m a long-time Facebook user — while Dr. Leah is new on the Facebook front.

And it appears that we’re having yet another little disagreement. See what you think. We’d love to know your thoughts on this one!

So, this all started when Dr. Leah asked me: “Don’t you think that some parents overdo it with all those kid photos on their pages?”

Me: “No, why?

Dr. Leah: “Well, your kids’ photos used to be gifts you’d share with family and close friends. They were special.”

I laughed. “And now, parents are posting new photos of their kids every day, for the world world to see, right?”

Dr. Leah: “Right! Family photo albums were once cherished personal treasures.”

Me: “You mean, like holiday photos you get in the mail?”

Dr. Leah: “Not exactly. Holiday photos and greeting cards are a once a year thing. And usually parents reserve those photo cards for special friends and family.  I’m talking about endless stream of pictures some parents post. When I see those kids’ photos, I wonder what motivates these parents. The kids seem so overexposed. I also think about these children’s futures — in college, and at work. Why do parents want to share every private moment? And, of course, we’re all still figuring out where those kid pictures could eventually wind up.”

Me: “But times have changed, Dr. Leah! We live in a digital world now. As a parent, we’re simply chronicling our kids’ lives for  friends and family who might live far away. That’s it.”

Dr. Leah: “But does everyone you know really want to see your kid’s life chronicled in pictures?”

We’d love to know:

Do you post your kids’ photos on Facebook, or are you more private… like Dr. Leah?

Is posting photos on Facebook just part of modern-day parenting… or a bit narcissistic?

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Dr. Leah and I are skeptical when companies contact us with “free” offers or discounts. (Because we’re both bloggers and authors, we receive many offers weekly!)

One recent offer, however, has proven to be the real thing: Photofiddle.com contacted us with a deal for all of you to receive a discount when you order a Mother’s Day gift.

Here’s the exciting news:  Photofiddle.com is giving ONE of you a $50 gift certificate for Mother’s Day.

I already ordered a special photo of my father — for his 70th birthday. It was easy and fun to scan a cute Grandpa-granddaughter shot, upload it to the website, and then let Photofiddle do its magic.

Wondering what’s the “magic”? And why it’s called “fiddle”?

Here’s the story:

You get to “fiddle” with  50 different art styles before you place the order. You can select from oil painting, Warhol pop art, watercolor, outline sketches, color pencil sketches, photo collages, film strip photo collages… and more! (I chose a simple sepia.) One photo … endless possibilities.

Your final image is transferred onto canvas, and you get it in the mail.

Are you ready? Here’s the contest to win a Mother’s Day gift:

Tell us which one of your special photos you’d love to get “fiddled” for Mother’s Day.

Good luck to all!
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In the meantime, go here for your 15 percent Mother’s Day discount!

Simply enter the code mom15 on the shopping cart page in the promotion code box and click “apply.”

The contest will be open through Sunday, April 26th.

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Nobody is a bigger fan of Rachel Sarah, a.k.a. Single Mom Seeking, than me. I read her fabulous book cover to cover in one evening — and made my friends buy their own copies. I’ve followed her blog avidly long before we met and founded Singlemommyhood.

That’s why I was so terribly disappointed in her response to Single Mom Seeking’s giveaway poster contest. (You can still enter, by the way!)

Rachel, what’s the matter with you? You want a huge poster sized picture of your child (beautiful, of course, but that’s not the point) as the focal point of your bedroom?

Here’s the truth from me, the Sanity Fairy:

It doesn’t matter if you go on JDate, get fixed up, or just talk to cute guys at Whole Foods. You are never going to meet the man you hope for if your bedroom is actually your family room.

Your bedroom should be your constant inspiration for romance, intimacy — and, of course, great sex.

Who can possibly fantasize or relax “privately” if your kid is staring down at you bigger than life?

Huge pictures of your kids in your bedroom guarantees your love life will far less than you deserve. The same is true for kid art, little framed pictures all over the place, and pictures of you with your ex. Of course, you looked gorgeous at that event, but, please, what’s the message in flaunting your past?

Turning your bedroom into a sexual haven — that means a kid-free zone — is an important first step toward a lusty sex life (even if you are not planning any home sex fests any time soon).

Don’t you find that kid pictures are, well, just a bit distracting during your private moments?

We loved how Single Mom Says put it recently when she asked in her blog:

“What message are you sending to those that walk through your door?“

So, tell us: What message is your bedroom sending?

How is your bedroom decorated?

Do you have kid pictures in your bedroom?

In other words, kiddie graduation photos in your bedroom are a no-no!

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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.”

~~~

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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