Paranoid Parent Syndrome - to post pictures off offspring?

Many thanks for all your comments - I think it is probably unjustified paranoia and I guess the tiny minority of kids abducted / abused by strangers are probably preyed on in an opportunist manner rather than being traced through POTN & a private detective!

I have decided on a compromise solution. I take lots of photos of children of friends / family so if I post a random assortment then no-one will know which is mine and which isn't!

Most of my posts here have been of my own children, a girl, 15 yrs, and a boy, 9 yrs(tomorrow). I haven't really had much of a thought about anything bad happening to them due to posting. Where I live they are more likely to be killed on the roads, or at school, or many other places than a deranged POTN viewer. However, my wife and I keep a watchful eye on our kids 99% of the time and my neighborhood has a lot of stay at home moms and dads that seem to keep a good eye on whatever might be going on in the neighborhood.

philthejuggler wrote in post #5473621
I have decided on a compromise solution. I take lots of photos of children of friends / family so if I post a random assortment then no-one will know which is mine and which isn't!

so now, not only you put your own kid at risk, you also put your friends/family children at risk as well

Personally, I concur with everyone in here. The chance is pretty small for a petrophile to hunt down one particular child in a forum.

On the side note, it's funny how it's perfectly fine for people to whip out their camera phone and P&S to snap away pictures, but there's that negative vibe when you pull out your DSLR to take quality picture of your kids

You can't protect them forever, I guess... here goes:

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TheHoff wrote in post #5531251
You can't protect them forever, I guess... here goes:

Lovely congratulations now give us the details. Your's, due date?

TheHoff wrote in post #5531251
You can't protect them forever, I guess... here goes:

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good luck to anyone trying to track this baby down

btw, congratulation to you

FuryMe wrote in post #5531265
Lovely congratulations now give us the details. Your's, due date?

Thanks... Right now it is mostly my wife's. She says it is mine, too. Due: sometime around Oct.1, gender unknown!

I dont post pictures of my kids cuz they are ugly...lol just kidding...

I think that not posting pictures of your kids because you are worried of harm is unreasonably paranoid.

Think about it. Crazies dont stalk thier victims based on internet photos (sure they my get off in thier sick way with them) but when it comes to actual harm they will base that on where they see your kid walking around, their habits, when they are vulnerable. If you were handing out these kinds of hints and stats with the pictures, then sure you should be worried, but other then that, no...

Unless you are rich or famous and a target the only other reason to target your kids is because they are easy targets by being alone where they shouldnt, or by not understanding the not talking to strangers rules and such...

Which brings up this, the VAST majority (over 95% if memory serves) of crimes commited agianst childern occur from direct family members and close friends...

think about that... from that I would not allow my kids around my friends and family! They are way more likely to commit a crime against them!

TheHoff wrote in post #5531286
Thanks... Right now it is mostly my wife's. She says it is mine, too. Due: sometime around Oct.1, gender unknown!

I have a October 2nd daughter, again congratulations!

superdiver wrote in post #5531291
Which brings up this, the VAST majority (over 95% if memory serves) of crimes commited agianst childern occur from direct family members and close friends...

think about that... from that I would not allow my kids around my friends and family! They are way more likely to commit a crime against them!

Yes, that's what I was saying, too, up in post #11. It is usually a "friend" or family member who molests a child.

I try to be very cautious about where I post my daughter's photos. I used to not care and posted it everywhere, but the more I thought about it, the more I wanted to be a little more selective in where I posted it.

This really is one reason we started the private board in my siggy. We try to make sure everyone there posts some (no lurking), and most of the people there have been online friends for years. We are just now starting to open it up to others, but we will still watch number of postts, etc... to try and keep it a safe, comfortable place for people to post their kids' pics!

There's more people that see my kids during the day on the way to school than would see their photos posted here so I have no worries about doing it.
But I have got to the point now that when I'm out and about with my camera I make sure that it doesn't point at anyone other than my kids - so that there's no misunderstandings.
But in the street that I live the neighbours have gotten so used to me take photos of my kids playing with their kids that they don't bat an eyelid. I also tend to throw photos of their kids onto a cd and give it to them

TheHoff wrote in post #5531286
Thanks... Right now it is mostly my wife's. She says it is mine, too. Due: sometime around Oct.1, gender unknown!

You crack me up!
Seriously though, CONGRATS on the Hofflette! My oldest was october 3rd. A lovely time of year for a baby.

A bit off the wall here, but a parallel example I have used before..... To me it is the same as obscuring your liscence plate when posting a pic of your car. How many thousands of people see your car every day, AND KNOW WHERE IT IS. But will obscure the plate when showing 4 people on the other side of the world. Same with the kids. How many chanced do you really take each day? THRUTHFULLY? Now how minute of a chance is it to just show a picture of your kids on a forum?