Parents are up in arms over boy’s photos posted online

Dear Abby:

My husband and I have a happy, adorable 18-month-old son. Early in my pregnancy, I decided to not post pictures of him on social media. During the past year, I have felt comfortable sharing about five pictures of him with my 40-plus friends and family who follow me.

My mother-in-law has been posting pictures of my son to her account for a while now. It bothered me, but I didn’t want to overreact. A few weeks ago, my husband texted her a picture of our son, himself and me. A few hours later, it ended up on her social media account with a filter altering the picture’s original color.

My husband and I became upset, and he agreed to tell her to no longer share pictures of our son. Is this appropriate? I firmly believe that my motherin-law should have asked permission. Am I correct? —

New Mom In New York

Dear Mom:

You and your husband should ask yourselves what has upset you more: that his mother shared a family picture with her circle of friends or that she altered the color. If you prefer she post no more pictures, ask her to stop and explain why. If it’s the fact that she took artistic license, I think you should let it go.

Dear Abby:

I am a 70-year-old widower. For the past year I’ve been dating “Celeste” and our relationship was growing closer.

Because she’s a big fan of a performer who was going to be in our area, I bought tickets for us. They were quite expensive. She knew about it and was eager to go.

On the day of the performance, she informed me that she wouldn’t be able to go. A friend had just surprised her with a visit. She apologized and promised she’d explain later that weekend.

The man turns out to be a former beau. Celeste seems to think I should be OK with her canceling but I can’t help but feel she was wrong to do it so she could spend the weekend with a former lover. I ended the relationship, but she is trying to renew things. Was I wrong to end the relationship? — Perplexed Ex In Missouri

Dear Ex:

You were not wrong. Celeste stood you up, which was, to say the least, inconsiderate of your feelings. (Did she offer to reimburse you for those tickets? ) She’s trying to renew the romance with you because her former beau’s visit ended. When he called, she should have told him she had a previous commitment and honored it. That she didn’t shows she is self-centered and will continue to be.

Eligible men your age are a hot commodity. It shouldn’t be too hard to find someone who appreciates what you have to offer. Move on.