DEAR ABBY: My husband and I have a happy, adorable 18-month-old son. Understandably, he's the light of our lives.
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Early in my pregnancy, I decided to not post a pregnancy announcement or pictures of him on social media. I felt my son should have the autonomy to build his own social media presence as he saw fit. During the past year, I have felt comfortable sharing about five pictures of him with my 40-plus close friends and family who follow that social media account.
My mother-in-law has been posting pictures of my son to her social media account for a while now. It bothered me, but I didn't voice any concerns because I didn't want to overreact. A few weeks ago, my husband texted her a picture of our son, himself and me. A few hours later, it ended up on her social media account with a filter altering the picture's original color!
My husband and I became extremely upset about it, and my husband agreed to tell her that she could no longer share pictures of our son on social media. Is this appropriate? I don't want to be one of those controlling, domineering parents, but I firmly believe that my mother-in-law should have asked permission prior to sharing any pictures of our son. Am I correct? -- NEW MOM IN NEW YORK
DEAR MOM: You and your husband should ask yourselves what has upset you more -- that his mother shared a family picture with her circle of friends (as you have with 40-plus of yours) or that she altered the color. If you prefer she post no more pictures, ask her to stop and explain why. If it's the fact that she took artistic license, I think you are overreacting and you should let it go.