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A Shakespearean tale: Babies Romeo and Juliet born 18 hours apart at same hospital
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Its a tale that would make the Bard himself smile. Two babies born hours apart at the same hospital bear the names of Shakespeare's most famous lovers. - photo by Jessica Ivins
HARDEEVILLE, S.C. Its a tale that would make the Bard himself smile.

Little Romeo Hernandez was born March 19 at a South Carolina hospital, and he didnt have to wait long to meet his Juliet, according to Today. A little over 18 hours later, Juliet Shifflett entered the world with the help of the same doctor who delivered baby Romeo in the room just next door.

Adding to the magic of the coincidence, the parents of the star-crossed babies had never met and had both chosen their childrens names months before the births, according to KTRK News.

Its funny because we didnt even name him Romeo after Shakespeare, Romeos mom, Morgan Hernandez, told KTRK. We named him after a singer named Romeo Santos who my husband and I both love.

Little Juliets name was inspired by the television show Psych, her mother, Christiana Shifflett, told ABC News.

"We wanted a J name to go with our sons name, Jonas, she said.

The hospitals photographer, Cassie Clayshulte, snapped a few photos of the star-crossed babies side by side in the nursery and posted them to her Facebook page.

Both babies have full heads of hair and already make the cutest couple! Clayshulte wrote in the post, which quickly went viral. As of Tuesday morning, it had more than 6,000 likes and 1,500 shares.

A heavenly match, wrote one commenter.

Last Friday, less than a week after their Shakespearean entrance, the babies paid a visit to Clayshultes studio for a shoot worthy of their story, Today reported. Baby Romeo wore a crown, while his Juliet donned a floral headband.

(They) loved being snuggled up and they even held hands, Clayshulte told Today.

Clayshulte gave Romeo and Juliets thousands of adoring fans what theyd been waiting for posting a few more images from that shoot to her Facebook page.

How precious! wrote a commenter. I hope they will be lifelong friends.

What an amazing opportunity and blessing!! wrote another.

Odds are, the Shakespearean babies could end up being buddies for life their parents have bonded over the experience.

We have already talked about getting together for one-year photos for the kids birthday as well as senior year photos, Hernandez told Today. We have found an amazing friendship within Juliets family.

Clayshulte told KTRK she plans to stick around for the ride.

We already discussed that if they get married, I get to shoot the wedding and their engagement photos, she said.
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How to avoid 'sharenting' and other paparazzi parenting habits
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A recent study revealed parents often spend up to two hours staging a single photo of his or her child to post online. - photo by Amy Iverson
Before having kids, some people just dont appreciate their friends baby posts. But after having a child of their own, three fourths of new parents jump right on the parental social media bandwagon. If you have become a member of this group, there are some rules to follow for posting responsibly.

Much of a parents worry is how to teach their children to use social media responsibly. We talk with our kids about privacy, oversharing, and setting restrictions on their devices to keep them safe. But parents themselves need to look in the digital mirror once in a while. Before having children, it doesnt take as much effort to think about what to post online. Its up to us to decide what we share about our own lives. But once you become a parent, there are many questions to think about regarding what is appropriate to post about your kids on social media.

In a recent survey, kids clothing subscription company Mac and Mia surveyed 2000 new parents to find out how they are documenting their kids lives on social media, and what concerns they may have.

First of all, people without children seem to feel a bit differently about the onslaught of baby pictures online than those who are parents. 18 percent of people say before they had kids, they were annoyed by their friends baby posts. But after having children of their own, 73 percent admit they post progress pictures of their little ones every single month.

Not only are new parents letting the world know each time their baby is a month older, but they are posting about their kids every few days or so. Men and women report they post 6-7 times per month about their baby.

And while 70 percent of new parents say the benefit of using social media is how easy it is to help family and friends feel involved, there are some downsides. Here are a few tips to avoid the pitfall of becoming paparazzi parents.

Dont miss the moment

In the Mac and Mia survey, some parents admitted to spending up to two hours to get the perfect shot of their baby. That seems a little extreme. New and old parents alike should be careful about spending so much time taking pictures and videos that they dont enjoy the moment. Years ago, I decided to never live an experience through my phone. A study by Linda Henkel, a psychology professor at Fairfield University in Connecticut, found that when people took pictures of objects in an art museum, they didnt remember the objects as well as if they simply observed them.

This photo-taking impairment effect can happen to parents as well. If we are so consumed by getting the perfect photo, we can miss out on the moment all together, and our memory of it will suffer.

Dont forget about privacy

60 percent of couples say they have discussed rules and boundaries for posting their babys photos, according to the Mac and Mia survey. Even so, men are 34 percent more likely to publish baby posts on public accounts. If parents are concerned about their childrens privacy, keeping photos off of public accounts is a given.

In the Washington Post, Stacey Steinberg, a legal skills professor at the University of Florida, and Bahareh Keith, a Portland pediatrician, wrote that sharing too much information about kids online puts them at risk. They write that all that sharenting can make it easier for data thieves to target out kids for identity theft. Check that your privacy settings are where they should be and never share identifying information like full names and birth dates.

Dont be paparazzi parents

36 percent of parents say they take issue when their childs photo is posted online by someone else. Responsible social media users will always ask permission before posting a photo of another child. But parents should also think about whether their own children will take issue with their own posted photos a few years down the road.

When parents are constantly snapping pictures and throwing them on social media, it can be easy to forget to pause and make sure the post is appropriate. I always use the billboard example with my kids. I ask them to picture whatever they are posting going up on a billboard in our neighborhood. If they are okay with that, then their post is probably fine. Parents should ask themselves this same question when posting about their children. But they should also ask themselves if their child would be OK with this post on a billboard in 15 years. If it would cause embarrassment or humiliation, it might be best to keep it private.

Once children reach an appropriate age, parents should include them in the process of deciding what pictures are OK to post. Researchers at the University of Michigan surveyed 10- to 17-year-olds and found children believe their parents should ask permission more than parents think they should. The kids in the survey said sharing happy family moments, or accomplishments in sports, school and hobbies is fine. But when the post is negative (like when a child is disciplined) or embarrassing (think naked baby pictures or messy hair), kids say to keep it off social media.
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