I’ve been on the radio a few times recently; last month I was on discussing contraception and whether we should share pictures of our kids on social media.
I hadn’t written about that yet because a) life is hectic and b) I think I still haven’t quite processed it yet! So, this post is me processing ‘out-loud’… I’d love to know your thoughts too!
Have a listen on Premier by clicking here.
Contraception
I talked with Marie Jones who had a very strong view against using contraception. In fact, she used the word ‘evil’ to describe it at one point.
Firstly, in such a short space of time on the radio talking about something which so links in to the area of fertility is difficult. It’s a sensitive topic which I think needed more time and thought than I felt able to give.
Secondly, I don’t believe that contraception is evil. When I started using it my monthly endometriosis pain dramatically decreased. Simply for that reason I feel pretty in favour. We went on to discuss how there might be circumstances where having a baby might be dangerous to your, or a baby’s, physical or mental health. I think we need to be prepared that anytime we have sex, even when we’re using contraception, that we could get pregnant. However, I think there are circumstance where it is difficult to argue against the need for contraception. I’m not of the view that abstinence here would be the way forward. Yes, you can have intimacy without sex but God created sex for pro-creation AND intimacy and unity in our marriages.
I think this was an interesting topic to chat about because we really did have very opposing views. I’ve also been thinking a lot since about how we share views in this area, for example when it comes to pro-life questions. Whilst I personally don’t agree with abortion I don’t think it’s my place to tell anyone else what they should believe or choose. There’s a difference between that and simply sharing what I believe.
Sharing photos on social media
I go back and forth on how much of my kids I want to share on social media. For now I share photos of them and our life but I don’t share their names. I do keep re-assessing that.
We talked about the recent article where Gwyneth Paltrow shared that her daughter Apple was upset that she had shared a photo of her online. Interestingly this came down to issues of consent and trust in their relationship rather than being about the photo. They had previously had an agreement that Gwyneth would check before posting photos of her daughter and she hadn’t.
My kids aren’t old enough to fully get the internet and what sharing photos means but I am trying to start those conversations and I will be inviting them to be part of the decision making when it comes to what I share of our family online when they’re able.
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