Living a social life, while still trying to maintain the private and personal, is a very tricky balance. Especially when you have kids. So how can you balance the two (or three, if you count your career) without damping your style or stepping on tiny toes?

  
I’m not going to lie. I go back-and-forth with whether to keep my settings private or not when it comes to social (particularly with Instagram). As a matter of fact, my Facebook is deactivated now.*

Yes, I go back mostly with what to share, what not to share, and whether it even matters. I love sharing. It’s become such a great part of who I am and what I do: blogging. There are moments, however, when I enjoy the privacy of certain moments: like when I first took my daughter to the Empire State Building, or when we all took the baby to the beach for the first time. There were glimpses on social, but for the most part, it was our moment to savor and enjoy.

What I’ve learned, however, is that:

1. Setting strict boundaries is key. Know what you want to share, where and why. Stick to it—especially if you have loved ones and they’re on social also. For me, my family is my boundary—and I respect their wishes of not posting their random, joyful moments. That’s theirs and theirs to share. 

2. Not to mention giving yourself the break you need. (So what if I go back-and-forth on Instagram?) Go wild sharing, if you want to—and then give yourself a day or two of as well. 

3. Also, know why you’re sharing to begin with. Do you really enjoy it? And not because you have a Jones on your follower’s list that you want to keep up with.

4. The real beauty of social is that there are no strict rules. Everyone is experiment with the same tools. It’s fun. It’s creative. It’s meant to link and unite those that share and want these same qualities. Most importantly, social and sharing is really a beautiful thing. Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.

*Facebook does the boundary check for me, with their millions of unplugging options. They’ve preset the time you can deactivate your account. You select the days and then the account is automatically turned back on for you. Pretty big brotherly, huh?