In July 2022, Kim Kardashian was criticized for posting a photo on Instagram of her then four and nine-year-old daughters, North and Chicago, cuddled in bed sleeping. The girls were positioned nose to nose with their arms crossed around one another while lying under the covers. Both had their hair pulled back away from their face as North sported a gray t-shirt, and Chicago looked cozy in pink pajamas. The sisters seemingly didn’t know they were being filmed by their mother, who couldn’t help but capture the sweet moment. While many fans loved seeing the precious bond between her children, some had issues with the post. 

In a thread online, one person wrote: “I’m sorry but this is a private moment for her and her children. Maybe to a fake Insta but to post this to hundreds of millions of people? No. Such a violation of their privacy.” Another had a similar response: “I think it’s disgusting the way they constantly post their kids when they are literally at their most vulnerable, when they are asleep.” One person empathized with the girls by saying: “This would make me mad as a kid, I used to hate it when my mom posted me on Facebook without saying anything.” 

Kim was also criticized for throwing a $150 million birthday party for her three-year-old. Even TODAY host Jenna Bush Hager ripped Kim over the party. “Here’s a piece of advice my cousin gave me when I had my first,” Jenna shared during an episode of the morning talk show. “Don’t even throw a party. Lower their expectations because if you go over the top at three, what do you think they’re gonna want at 16?” Jenna encouraged viewers not to compare their own parties and gifts to that of celebrities. 

“Don’t look at your social media feed and think that kids need expensive vacations or wild, over-the-top things. I love Kim Kardashian, so nothing against her, I’m just saying, little moments like roasting marshmallows outside or staring at the stars, walks with dogs, any of the little moments. They’re free!” Hager said. 

The Kardashian-Jenner family has always had a long track record of letting their kids be seen from a public standpoint since Kim’s mother and father allowed them to be recorded and broadcasted since they were young on their long-running reality TV series “Keeping Up With The Kardashians.” With this, it’s easy to see how Kim would feel this is appropriate since it’s how she grew up, but they aren’t the only celebrities who let the world see their kids’ everyday lives. 

Representation of a star’s child is a huge part of the basis of celebrities’ personas, as the publicity around the children of Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt demonstrates. On social media, Kylie Jenner’s first image of her daughter Stormi took the throne of the most liked image on Instagram with 18.4 million likes in August 2021. Displays of celebrities’ children can have further influence on the celebrities’ personas. Some celebrities even build their personas on their creation of a family with children, such as YouTube family vloggers like The Ace, LaBrant and Franke families whose main source of fame is the display of their kids. 

I believe that children, no matter how famous their parents are, deserve their own privacies and lives. The occasional consensual Instagram post wishing them happy birthday or congratulating them is perfectly fine, but to document most of every waking moment of their lives and to post it from their birth —where they don’t know any better —is a step too far. Children need time to mature before they can decide whether or not they want to let the public get a glimpse into their personal lives. Allowing the world into their lives means they could get older and feel they owe everyone something, or they need to look a certain way or they’ll be irrelevant. Being famous doesn’t mean your child needs to be too. 

Like Jenna Bush Hager’s criticism of Kim Kardashian’s birthday party for her child, giving your child million-dollar birthday parties and expensive gifts all the time from a young age allows them to get older and want more. They become conceited and spoiled. Parenting means teaching your kids to be appreciative of the little things. Parenting means letting your kids learn that in life, everything isn’t handed to you. 

They need to learn the important lessons of life no matter how much fame and fortune you can give them.

Nick Keller is an opinion writer. Contact him at [email protected]