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Should My Ex's Fiancee Post Photos of My Daughter on Her Facebook?
Filed under: Divorce & Custody, Media, Single Parenting, Relationships, Expert Advice: Big Kids, Expert Advice: Tweens, Expert Advice: Teens, Expert Advice: Just For You, Expert Advice: Home Base
Dear AdviceMama,
I am a newly divorced mom with custody of my child. My daughter rarely sees her dad, so she was happy to have shared the weekend with his new fiancée and her children. Following the weekend, his fiancée posted pictures of our daughter on her social networking site. This makes me very uncomfortable and I struggle with whether or not this is an issue that should be confronted. Should his future wife have the freedom to post pictures of my child on her social networking sites?
Signed,
Momma Bear
Dear Momma Bear,
You have raised a question that wouldn't have even existed a few short years ago. But nowadays, many parents share your concerns, as we all try to figure out how to safely navigate the world of the Internet that's so rapidly becoming part of our parenting lives.
Social networking has changed the way people make contact with old and new friends, creating complex challenges about what is and isn't appropriate, as matters of privacy get explored and debated.
I have a feeling our ParentDish readers will be divided on this issue, but my opinion is that without your express permission -- and depending on your daughter's age -- your former husband's fiancée shouldn't have added the photographs. It's safe to say that she meant no harm; lots of people post pictures of their children on their Facebook site as a way of offering a visual glimpse into their lives.
The problem is that there are many ways that information on networking sites gets passed around on the Internet, and frankly, I don't think parents exercise nearly enough caution in posting photos of their children.
I don't know whether your daughter's future stepmother has the legal right to upload pictures of her or not; I suspect this aspect of custody law is still a work in progress, as attorneys race to catch up with the many new issues that the Internet has created when it comes to parenting.
But I don't think it would be at all inappropriate to politely express your concerns to your former husband and his fiancée.
Before I go further, however, I should say this: If your concerns are relevant to protecting your daughter from being viewed by strangers -- I'm with you. If, however, you're simply uncomfortable having her future stepmother acknowledge her fiancee's daughter to her online friends, we're talking about a different issue. In that case, you are going to have to do the difficult work of coming to terms with this woman's presence in your child's life.
If you legitimately feel uneasy about the situation because you don't want your daughter's photos displayed online, begin by letting your former husband and his fiancee know that you understand that she might want to share pictures from their weekend together, but that you're not comfortable having your daughter's images on the web.
Explain some of your reasons, and make the request that the photos be removed, at least until you can all come to an agreement.
If worse comes to worse, I suppose you can consult your attorney and find out if the custody terms address this sort of problem. But ultimately, your daughter will best be served if you do all you can to untangle this in a friendly way with her father and future stepmom.
Best of luck!
Yours in parenting support,
AdviceMama
AdviceMama, Susan Stiffelman, is a licensed and practicing psychotherapist and marriage and family therapist. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in developmental psychology and a Master of Arts in clinical psychology. Her book, Parenting Without Power Struggles, is available on Amazon. Sign up to get Susan's free parenting newsletter.
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ReaderComments (Page 2 of 12)
6-10-2010 @ 8:35PM
ackeegrl said...Duhhhhhhh....the child didn't post the pic...her father's girlfriend did. And it is a parental issue since she has no legal rights to post the pic and it wasn't on her fathers page....... I have told my daughters' friend, teenager, to remove a pic of my daughter holding a glass with "h****" on it ..while the friend had another glass with a ******.she was in a gag store and all that need was someone to text that pic around the school for a bad reputation.....and she did take the pic down.....i'm a mother and I look out for my child......do what you want with your own kids..;.I have her for life....wives n husbands come n go.......a dime a dozen...I can't replace my kids.
6-10-2010 @ 8:20PM
Alex said...You're...you're kidding, right? This IS a prank by the guys over at AOL...right?
Look, Facebook as a social networking site is meant for, well, social networking. This involves posting photos.
I have friends who literally have thousands of pics of themselves on their profiles, AND videos too.
Now, it seems to me that this isn't so much about the mom caring for the daughter's online safety, but more about the STEP-MOTHER being the one to post the pictures and not her. I ask you: if it were the mother, would it be any safer?
No, I believe this is more of a jealousy issue than an internet safety issue. Granted, internet safety is important; but if you haven't drilled that into your child's head by now, then frankly, you are failing as a parent. Obviously, both the stepmother and the biological father found the pictures appropriate enough to post, so why wouldn't the mother?
Oh, that's right: she's jealous. Jealous that there is another woman in her daughter's life. Trust me, I've seen this happen before; it's best if the three of you "forgive" and forget this whole issue...or else it'll get real ugly, real fast.
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6-10-2010 @ 9:33PM
vjax said...Jealousy? No, jealousy is when your husband's pregnant girlfriend post pictures of them together, knowing that his grown children have access to those pictures. This is about a child, and the custodial parent is either comfortable with this or not. For what ever reason. They can lock the pictures, so YOU can't see them, but they can have them accessible to anyone THEY choose. Face Book, My Space, use your powers for good, not for evil! You should discuss this with your ex. and maybe you can come to an agreement that you can be comfortable with.
6-10-2010 @ 10:17PM
Memphis said...Thank you for posting the honest truth.. This is just another vindictive woman in a divorce case that hates to see the father have any rights.. It is the same thing I am going through with my ex. Tell the ***** to go **** herself.
6-10-2010 @ 10:10PM
Michael said...i noticed you said you have friends with post . As you are not a parent what gives you the right to pass judgement you could care less it not your child .so don' t set there and try to down play this concern
6-10-2010 @ 11:26PM
nickandken said...Not to be rude, because I'm sure this way of thinking makes total sense to you. However... there ARE people in the world who choose to NOT social network at all. For example, my husband and I do NOT, but both his family and my own DO. His sisters and my siblings are all aware that we do NOT approve of them posting pictures of our children, even if no names are mentioned, and they respect our choice. Now if I were to get divorced and my husbands new wife DID have a site of some sort, I would be VERY angry if she choose to post my childs pictures! I personally think that social networking is just one more step towards socialism, and I may very well be a lunatic, but this is America and I believe that if a parent believes something is wrong or unsafe for their child, they have EVERY right to say so. Why assume this woman is just jealous? From what she wrote I got zero hint of that, she seemed sincerely concerned about her child, so maybe she actually was!
6-11-2010 @ 1:19AM
Irritated by Idiots!! said...I could not agree more I feel that she is Jealous!!!! I bet she has a facebook with her kids pics on it. She just wants to make a big deal out of nothing. And how does she know there are pics of her child on her EX'S web page hmmm think of that one. Most likely because she was taking a peek sounds like a stalker issue to me. Get over the fact that you ex has a new woman it isnt the end of the world!!! I have 4 beautiful babies 2 of them are to my ex and he has a new woman and she has pics of my babies on her page so what!!! your her mom not the other woman. Get over your jealousy issues!!! You notice that the whole issue is aimed toward the future wife not the dad, you plainly state without saying it that your jealous and do not want your child on her page. Grow up and worry about what is really important and that is keeping your child happy, I bet your one of those moms that sit there and say bad things about your ex's new lover and try to make her hate them. It sure sounds like it. Do you have pics of your kid on your facebook??????? Most likely you do, his soon to be wife is going to be a part of your childs life it will be so much easier on yourself and your daughter if you just let it be
6-11-2010 @ 5:26AM
Judy said...Jealousy has nothing to do with it, Facebook is not even close to being protective of the people that have accounts on there( they are supposedly working on it) If my child's picture ended up on any website without myself putting up the pics there would be war, I have not posted my childrens' pictures anywhere at all on the internet because it is wayyyyy too easy for nasty pervs to do data mining and find out information and then to put a pic with that information NO WAYYY.
Quite your chicken poop comments that you think you can't be traced by and find some help for your insecurity or boredom, which ever it is
6-19-2010 @ 2:40PM
Strawberriblondie3 said...Why was this mom snooping around on the fiancee's facebook in the first place? It sounds like the mom is being jealous and petty to me. Millions of families post their family photos on their facebook pages. As a stepmom and a mother of 2 daughters with a stepmom, I'd be more offended if my child wasn't included in their stepmom's Facebook pages. But, of course I'm not a jealous troublemaker either. This mom needs to get a grip and be happy she has a step mother- to- be for her daughter who is proud and happy enough with her child to present her to the world as a happy addition to her life. I feel sorry for the father and his new wife to be. It sounds like they're in for years of petty Tom foolery with an unhappy, unstable ex.
6-10-2010 @ 8:20PM
el said...Stop your whining, its just a picture.Sounds like theres some jealousy here and your using the pic as an excuse to cause problems.GROW UP
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6-10-2010 @ 8:46PM
FrenchBlue367 said...My thoughts exactly. First words that jumped out at me were: "If your concerns are relevant to protecting your daughter from being viewed by strangers -- I'm with you."
Protecting her daughter from being viewed by strangers? Isn't the child viewed by strangers every time she goes out in public, example, to the supermarket with mom, with dad, to the park on the corner with some friends to ride the swings... really, Momma Bear, you must get over this need to control every aspect of your daughter's life. Sounds like you're extremely insecure, and perhaps you should seek help for that problem.
The article goes on to say: "If, however, you're simply uncomfortable having her future stepmother acknowledge her fiancee's daughter to her online friends, we're talking about a different issue. In that case, you are going to have to do the difficult work of coming to terms with this woman's presence in your child's life."
And there is the problem I believe. Not the idea of 'protecting' her child from 'being viewed by strangers.' Please. Get over your damn self. Every parent wants to protect their child, absolutely, but you're just being paranoid. And I believe you're afraid your ex's future wife will usurp your place in your daughter's life. Maybe you're worried that she'll get along better with her step-mom, and I believe your ego can't handle that.
Seek professional help.
6-10-2010 @ 10:54PM
Mona said...You hit the nail right on the head! A bit of jealousy?? I think it's a lot!
6-10-2010 @ 8:22PM
Peter Gozinya said...Momma Bear you need to get over this. Your ex has the right to post along with his finacee and you're just going to have to live with it. You don't have exclusive rights to your daughter's image you idiot.
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6-10-2010 @ 10:26PM
Lily said...Peter Gozinya .. You need to spend a couple of bucks talking to an attorney for an hour before you get yourself in a whole lot of trouble.
6-11-2010 @ 12:19AM
Lily said...Peter Gozinya .. You need to spend a couple of bucks talking to an attorney for an hour before you get yourself in a whole lot of trouble.
6-10-2010 @ 8:27PM
Louis said...Exactly what is your goal of this information not being posted. What is stopping me from seeing your daughter at the grocery store with you and being that 33% of people who are a child molester.
Do you think the lovely step mother would be inclined to tell me personal information if I sent her a message through FB saying i thought her nonbiological child was attractive.
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6-10-2010 @ 8:53PM
FrenchBlue367 said...Alright Louis, your comments are just creepy. Please don't use yourself as an example of a stalker/pedophile/child molester unless you really are one. Ewww....
6-11-2010 @ 9:20AM
Peter Gozinya said...I agree with el up there. You're just jealous because it probably shows them having fun somewhere and she's accepting her new step-mom to be and you're just being, well a jealous *itch.
Reply
6-10-2010 @ 8:25PM
jn said...Me thinks mommy is feeling threatened by the new girlfriend and a bit jealous maybe? She's stirring up a pot of trouble and looking for a way to throw her weight around in court to get back at daddy for moving on.
Reply
6-10-2010 @ 8:24PM
lee said...get over it, obviously the father doesn't object, and he has rights here too!
Reply