Photograph; Teenage girl (16-18) sitting by laptop, woman in background. A mother? A stranger? What is the relationship and if the girl is shamed what will she think?
By Vicki Hoefle | Originally Published at Huffington Post. august 21, 2014 2:11 PM
We live in a society of over-sharing, thanks to social media. As a result, parents are finding creative ways to use Facebook, YouTube and blogging as a means to showcase their children’s sometimes funny/sometimes not-so-funny mistakes and the ways in which they punish them for those mistakes.
“Funny kid shaming” is a recent trend where parents point out or “get back” at their kids for the embarrassing things they do and the mistakes they make. A quick Google search and you’ll find pictures parents have posted of their kids posing (or sometimes sleeping) with signs that read:
  • “I threw up in my new car seat the very first time I sat in it.”
  • “I eat dog food.”
  • “I threw a bowl of pasta on the carpet. Then I refused to clean it up.”
  • “I opened the restaurant bathroom door while mummy was still in there peeing.”
While it’s easy to see that parents are connecting over this latest trend of sharing everyday parenting troubles, it begs the question, how does “funny kid shaming” differ from more extreme forms of public shaming?
In my opinion, there is no difference. It could be argued that parents may be trying to disguise the shaming and humiliating with humor, so that they won’t experience the backlash parents who blatantly shame their kids do. There is no difference between these two groups. Before you jump on the bandwagon of this trend, consider the damage that’s done when public shaming becomes an acceptable disciplinary tactic:

1. It can psychologically damage the child.

I believe that it is children’s birthright to trust their parents to provide a loving, caring and safe environment where they are treated with dignity and respect.

2. There are long-term effects on THEIR legacy.

Your child could work hard for years to become class president, play a varsity sport, or be an active community leader, but thanks to your efforts, they will forever be remembered as the kid who’s dad got famous for creating a blog of all the things that made him cry.

3. It’s a THUMBS UP to bullying.

If you’re about to do something that any child would be suspended from school for, then you’re about to empathyeducates – Why ‘Funny Kid Shaming’ Isn’t Really Funny: