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An Excerpt From ‘STFU, Parents’: Oversharing About Teens
In her book STFU, Parents, blogger Blair Koenig takes a comedic yet critical look at the often outrageous world of parental oversharing on social media. From cringe-worthy attempts at humor to competitive “Mompetitions,” where parents boast about their parenting wins and fails, no update escapes Koenig’s sharp observations. This excerpt specifically addresses the ways parents of teenagers can overshare about their kids in the digital age.
While most oversharing tends to focus on babies and toddlers, as these updates are typically posted by parents of younger kids, there are definitely still some who can’t resist sharing the more awkward aspects of their teens’ lives. For those of us who’ve crossed the threshold into adolescence, we know exactly what these updates often entail.
Now, life revolves around topics like girls getting their periods, boys exploring their bodies, and the emergence of armpit hair. Thankfully, many parents refrain from posting about such matters, especially since their teenagers are old enough to have social media accounts and might see those updates pop up in their feeds. But for the few who do share, I can’t help but feel a pang of sympathy for those kids.
Imagine if my mom had hired a skywriter to announce, “Blair’s First Period!!!! She is now a woman!!!!” or plastered posters around town about my brother’s teenage acne. Thankfully, she respected our privacy and never would have done such a thing, which makes me feel for those whose parents do overshare. Who really wants a virtual newsletter celebrating their first period?
Take, for example, Jenna’s post about her son, Noah, who is beyond excited to notice his first chin hair at age eleven. “He’s on his way to rocking a beard like Grandpa!” she exclaims. While she may think it’s funny, such announcements violate the unspoken rule against mentioning an adolescent’s body hair. Just because a young man shares this personal milestone with his mom doesn’t mean he wants everyone on social media to know about it.
And then there’s Carla, who proudly shares that her son feels comfortable discussing his “showering” habits with her. Well, not anymore, Carla! Parents need to recognize that their teenagers—and all of their friends—are also online. Sharing intimate details about a teen’s personal life is far more cringe-worthy than posting those adorable baby photos. It’s a slippery slope, and no one wants to be the parent who sparks a revolution over inappropriate sharing.
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In summary, while parental oversharing may seem harmless, it can have lasting effects on teenagers. Parents should be mindful of their children’s privacy and consider the implications of their social media posts.
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