Dear Abby: Grandma hurt when told NOT to share photos of grandchild on social media

DEAR ABBY: We recently attended the wedding of a close family member on my husband’s side. All went seemingly well until the next day when I was sharing snapshots of the beautiful day with my stepdaughter. I promptly received what I’ll call a form letter via text from her, saying: “Hi! As the holidays approach, we’re sending this message to our close family members.

With flu season coming up and a rise in COVID cases, we’re asking everyone to not kiss the baby. This is also a reminder not to take or post photos of the baby. We take lots of beautiful photos of her and if you’d like some, we are happy to send them to you. Our goal is to minimize her media presence until she’s old enough to consent to how her pictures are used.” When I spoke to other family members, I realized none of them had received this message.

I’m hurt. I spent what I thought was a beautiful day at a family function, taking snapshots of the event and of our grandchild. Now here’s a text telling me not to take pics of her. I don’t know how to handle this. JOY DESTROYED IN THE WEST DEAR JOY DESTROYED: You are the only person who received that message because you are the only person who was taking photos.

Parents are entitled to decide whether they want pictures of their children posted on social media. You should always ask whether it’s OK to post pictures of an event or a child before doing so. Now you know how your stepdaughter feels about it, so “handle this” by apologizing for any mistake you might have made..