About 90 percent of my Twitter and Facebook posts are about my daughter, Lena, which makes me guilty of "sharenting"—the practice of a parent regularly using social media to communicate information about their child.
My posts aren't all about how cute or smart my 18-month daughter is, though. Some are questions to other moms, like, "What should I do if Lena ate Play-Doh?" and, "Has anyone found a good system for brushing toddler teeth?"
According to the University of Michigan C.S. Mott Children's Hospital's National Poll on Children's Health, I'm similar to the majority of the 569 parents polled.
The parents said they used social media "to make them feel like they're not alone (72 percent), for learning what not to do (70 percent), to get advice from more experienced parents (67 percent), and to help them worry less (62 percent)," according to a press release from the University of Michigan.
Parents most commonly sought advice on getting kids to sleep, nutrition and eating, discipline, daycare or preschool and behavior problems.
So while some people may get annoyed by posts like the below, I actually mostly use social media to get advice from other moms. So, while guilty of "sharenting," I'm not apologizing for it. And, come on, look at that face!
I never would have guessed how much my daughter would like dress-up. #toddlerfashion
A photo posted by @verasiz on
Tell us about your social media "sharenting" in the comments below!
