Letter From Katie: Before Writing, I Now Check With My 8-Year-Old

My daughter came downstairs the other morning wearing a new dress her grandmother had purchased. I wanted to take a picture of her to share with my mom and show how cute the dress looked on our girl.
After I snapped the photo with my phone, CeCe wagged her finger at me and loudly said, “Do NOT put that on Facebook or text it to anyone.”
I’ve been writing about my daughter’s life since before she was born. Between my blog, this column and social media, I’ve shared details about the milestones and the mundane.
But at the wise age of 8, CeCe has now realized how much of my job includes sharing about her personal life. She has started to tell me if she doesn’t want a photo or a certain piece of information out in the universe, and I absolutely understand.
I recently wrote about her ADHD and I got special permission to write that column. I’m learning to ask for her permission before I post anything about her on Facebook.
I think it’s wonderful that she is asserting her right to privacy, although it does conflict with my “open book” work style.
I hope as she grows into her teenage years and adulthood, she doesn’t hate me for telling stories about potty-training and tantrums in a public way.
None of my columns or blog posts were intended to embarrass her. They are a way to share how I feel about the situation as a parent. I hope they offer a connection for other struggling parents, and maybe (hopefully) they have brought a chuckle to a reader who can relate to whatever crazy anecdote I’m sharing.
So if you notice I don’t write about my oldest child as often as I used to, this is why. She is taking control of her public image and I will respect that.
And, yes – I got her permission to write about her in this letter.