Welcome back and thanks for joining us. We’ve been talking about something that isn’t comfortable to discuss, but all of us are painfully aware of – the fact that parenting in the online age is extra hard! As we mentioned in the previous article, anyone can film anyone else doing just about anything in public and upload it. And once it’s online, everyone feels the need to chime in with their two cents about how that person should have or could have done things differently. And parenting is certainly not spared in this court of public opinion!

You need to be careful of how you handle your kids in public (Unless you want to end up online!)

We’re sorry to have to say it, but it’s true. Spanking may be legal in Michigan, but if your child is misbehaving at the grocery store, or refusing to get out of the car while you’re out running errands, you may want to delay punishment until you get home. Mental health professionals will tell you that public discipline can be emotionally harmful for a child because it causes shame. But that aside, a more immediate reason to avoid spanking your kids in public settings would be because someone with a smartphone may see you. And once that video is recorded and posted online, the fallout can be enormous!

People rarely have context for what they see online in memes and clips

Google memes and you’re likely to find millions of tiny video clips, pulled from movies and culled from social media uploads that you have no context for. The same goes for all those mini-movie clips that float around on social media. From videos of teens doing stupid things to one another, people pulling pranks in public, folks wearing embarrassing outfits in the grocery store, and people acting like fools in the street. You probably have no idea where they were filmed, what had happened just before that person acted that way, and what happened after the camera stopped rolling. And it’s exactly the same for all those awkward and embarrassing parenting videos you find online. You have no idea what the context is. And nor does anyone else, including CPS! But that won’t stop them.

So watch yourself when you’re out in public with your kids!

As CPS defense attorney Brandy Thompson explains, it’s all about how your actions are perceived by others. “Unfortunately, this day in age, perception dominates. No one thinks to ask questions first before vilifying others on social media. Often times the damage has been done and a person has been tried and convicted before anyone can put the video/picture into context. Sadly, it has become increasingly important to pay attention, not just how you act in public, but how others might perceive your actions as well!” And that couldn’t be truer! We live in an age when everyone believes their opinion is relevant to perfect strangers, and they should have a say in how others live their lives.

Protect yourself from invasive and inaccurate allegations of abuse.

Here at The Kronzek Firm, our experienced and hard-working CPS defense attorneys know how hard it is to parent your children in this day and age. And we know how challenging it is to fight public opinion and perception, which can influence the way CPS handles a case. So if you’ve been accused of abusing or neglecting a child, call our skilled and experienced CPS defense attorneys immediately. We can help you by ensuring that your parenting rights are properly protected and that you have the best defense possible in the face of those charges. Don’t wait, or just hope for the best. Call 866 766 5245 right now, and take a proactive response to allegations of abuse.