Privacy Issues

When I first started blogging about my life, I encountered a lot of fear from people that I knew. The general consensus seemed to be that if I put photos of my children and talked about them online, they were going to be stolen or harmed in some way.  And people were very verbal about sharing that fear with me.

Jonas

But honestly?  It was never one of my concerns.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m a normal mom, and my deepest fear is something happening to my children.  But I learned a long time ago to control that fear and not let it affect my decision making.  

That doesn’t mean I do stupid things like tweet, “My adorable 6 year old daughter Indigo will be playing unattended in the front yard for the next 20 minutes.”  I use wisdom, but I’m not afraid to share our lives.

There are several reasons behind this.  

When we lived in New Jersey, Jim taught at a Charter school in inner-city Trenton.  Not a particularly safe place.  And then we moved our family into Trenton.  That too caused an uproar among people who knew and loved us because there was a lot of violence and drugs and prostitution in the area that we lived.  They feared for our safety.  

And a part of me feared for our safety also.  But we installed a top of the line security system, and the children did not go outside without me.

And do you know what I learned?  I learned that ultimately God is in control of our safety.  Nothing happens to my family without God allowing it to happen.  And that really gave me a lot of peace.  I did my part to be vigilant and do what I could to keep my family safe.  I had a plan for fire and violence.   But I was able to sleep at night resting in the fact that God was watching over us.  My Pastor from New Jersey says, “Safety is not the absence of danger, but the presence of God.

So when I moved to the middle of rural Indiana and started a blog, it was very easy for me to trust God in that issue as well.  

Because the main issue is that I believed I was doing what God wanted me to do.  And that doesn’t always make sense to other people.  I believed God wanted us to live in inner-city Trenton and I believed God wanted me to start a blog and share our family with others.  In both instances, I felt (and still do feel) that there were people who needed to see our family in action.  There are people who need to see what a strong family unit can accomplish.  There are people who need to see that training children up and teaching them to work hard produces wonderful children who are not lazy and feel they are entitled to everything.

I do what I can to protect my children, but ultimately, their safety is not in my hands.  And for that I’m very thankful.

So I don’t worry about my privacy.  My life and my family and my business are mostly an open book.  (Which doesn’t mean that I share everything.) 

But I choose to live with this kind of transparency because I believe that it is important.  I try to be the best person I can be because my children are watching.  But I also want to do my part to make this world a better place to live.  And I think that there are so few good role models out there today.   Most celebrities, entertainers, and athletes have deplorable behavior.  It’s my desire to show other new moms out there that you don’t have to succumb to the negative influences in today’s culture.  You can stand out and be different.  And if seeing my life helps you and encourages you to do that, then I will gladly sacrifice my “privacy”.

PJ

 

 

Please note: I reserve the right to delete comments that are offensive or off-topic.

10 thoughts on “Privacy Issues

  1. Amen to your thoughts! Besides, if the “world” knows what your children look like, it would be harder for someone to get away with stealing them because they are recognized by a large system of people already! But ultimately God is in charge and I agree that we need to teach our children safety – but not to be afraid of life.

  2. PJ – I absolutely get so much joy from reading about your family. I first learned about you all from the Today show. I remember seeing Jim talk and thinking – “I’m pretty sure that man is a Christian – I’m pretty sure I can see the Holy Spirit in him.” I was so excited to research your company and learn more about your faith, family, and business. Thank you for your obedience to God. It gives courage to the rest of us. Love, Jasmine

    • Thank you so much, Jasmine, for taking the time to write that. What an absolutely incredible thing to say!! I think that’s one of the best compliments Jim has ever been given. 🙂 PJ

  3. I feel like I know the Jonas family and am so anxious to meet them. I also share extra bars of Goat Milk Soap with friends in hopes of converting them. Although I love the soap and would continue to buy for myself, convincing others to try is because I love the stories of the children. I call that brilliant marketing.

    • Thank you so much, Patty! Through Goat Milk Stuff, we have gotten to know some wonderful people. It’s been such an unexpected blessing.

      Thanks for sharing the soap with others!! It is how we get to keep on doing what we love to do! 🙂 PJ

  4. When we started our blog, I felt the same way. We can’t lock our kids in tiny little cages. We have to teach them to walk in the world. I am very careful what I say about them, as I know they will be forever able to read it. But God wants us to touch each other’s lives, and not live in fear.

    Plus, we love and are inspired by your family and your values. I would miss seeing you all!

    • Thanks, Jennifer! If anything is “iffy” or embarrassing, I always get the children’s permission first before I post it. I work a lot on teaching the children to be able to laugh at themselves. That comes very easily to some of my children and is very difficult for others of them! PJ

  5. Really love your philosophy on this. Healthy! I’d probably ask you this in addition to the ones posted in “If I had lunch with PJ” 😉

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