My Grandma has photo albums filled with embarrassing childhood photographs of me. I didn’t have a choice in what shots were taken, what made the books, and what should have been burned immediately. Lucky for me, those photo albums are buried on the bottom shelf of a bookcase in her dining room. Safely stored on the other side of the country, they have as little chance of seeing the light of day again as the Joker ever has of defeating Batman. Growing up, I vowed I would never subject my kid to that kind of torture. Instead, I have publicly documented each and every day of his life so far.

By putting him out there, I wonder if it will scar him for life. Right now, he’s a baby. I can get away with the stories and the photos because it’s cute and adorable. What happens during the not so cute toddler moments or the angsty teenage years? Will this blog become a fight between us or will he just roll his eyes and tell his therapist it’s all my fault? That’s what my mom always told me to do. When that day comes, I’m sure you’ll all read about it on here, whether he likes it or not.

I share a good chunk life online. Not just my life but Bex’s and Boy Wonders too. It’s amazing to me, all the personal information we are willing to give out. Every photo we post, all the “like”s, the auto-filled forms, and every time we purchase something with our credit card;  it’saved, even after it’s been deleted. It’s become so easy to share things on the internet without thinking about the trail of breadcrumbs that we’re leaving behind. Now I’m starting to sound paranoid aren’t I?

Look at it this way; One of a super-hero’s greatest defenses is his secret identity. Look at Spider-Man, Batman, or Superman. As soon as one of the Rogue’s Gallery discovered the true identity of these masked vigilantes, not only was our hero in danger but so were their loved ones. That’s why, for as much as I share, I take the secret identities of our IncrediFamily very seriously. I try to remain mostly anonymous when it comes to the blog. I never mention our “real jobs”, our address, or our surname. But I know it wouldn’t be difficult to find if someone really wanted to.

On the other hand, I’ve enjoyed recording and sharing our lives this way. It’s been more than a creative outlet for me. It’s been a way to connect with other parents and to learn about topics I was completely clueless on. It keeps me accountable as a parent too. By being honest with all of you, I’m holding a mirror up to myself as well.

So, my kid may grow up with a carefully curated life of blog posts and Instagram photos but at least I know there is one question he’ll never ask me.

“Dad, what was I like as a baby?”