I love Facebook. I do. It allows for community building with like-minded people, provides entertainment, shares helpful information and is a way to stay connected with old friends. I enjoy reading articles that discuss life hacks and reminisce about trends from my childhood, watching cooking videos of tasty recipes I'll never make and keeping up with the latest news in my friends' lives. Facebook is a lot like how I imagine quicksand to be. If you tread lightly and quickly you are fine, but the minute you linger a little too long you start to get sucked in.
Recently I have heard a lot backlash regarding moms whose Facebook posts are always showcasing the positive. I've read blog posts addressing this to the effect of, "I know you are lying. No one is that happy. Just be real." A lot of people feel that always having picture perfect posts is being fake, sugar-coating or pretending to be someone you are not. I am here to respond to those people because, for the most part, I am one of those cheerful-posting moms.
Facebook is my happy place. My posts are a sort of collection of moments and memories that I am proud of and excited about. It is a kind of "greatest hits" compilation of my life. If you scroll down my Wall, you will see smiling selfies of my children and me on display, exciting announcements shouted from the rooftops, important developmental milestones bragged about, and sometimes (but not often) even fancy meals I have cooked. This, however, does not mean that I am trying to seem like I have it all together. I most definitely do not.
Like all of us, there are a lot of things that happen in my daily life that I do not consider to be Facebook-worthy. For example, I did not post a picture when my 5-year-old refused dinner last week so I let her eat chocolate cake. I do not upload pictures of me zombie-walking to her room at 3:00 a.m. because she woke up and won't go back to sleep by herself. I do not document when my children are having meltdowns or acting like wild animals. I don't announce when I have a fight with my husband or when I receive bad news. I don't because I don't want to. I enjoy looking online at my virtual scrapbook filled with snapshots of all the joy that I have in my life. It helps remind me how blessed I really am.
So, fellow mamas, please do not judge me for my sunshine-y posts. In no way am I trying to "one up" you. My life is not perfect, and I don't pretend it is. I am just like you. I just prefer some extra icing on my Facebook cake.