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Is your jealousy actually an awesome characteristic?
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There are some characteristics that get a bad rap. People automatically assume if you have them, it is a disadvantage, but here is one negative trait that is actually something awesome. - photo by Megan Shauri
Jealousy is usually seen as something negative. It can easily turn into envy and become a not so pleasant trait, but there are actually some aspects of it that make it an awesome characteristic to have.

Here are 5 reasons why:

1. It can show your significant other how you feel (in a good way)

When your significant other is overly cautious about your interactions with the opposite sex, it may be flattering, rather than over protective. It is usually because they know and realize how attractive you are. Im not just talking about being physically attractive, but that you have a lot of good qualities and characteristics that others find attractive too.

Although being jealous can be taken too far, and causes problems when you let it destroy your trust in the other person, it can also be nice for your significant other to know youre jealous because you still think they are a catch.

2. It can motivate you

A lot of times jealously can be used as a motivator. If you are jealous of someones musical talent, it may motivate you to develop your own talents. If you are jealous that your friend just landed the best job ever, it may motivate you to find your dream job. As long as you dont let the evil part of jealousy take over, you can use it as motivator.

3. It can alert you to potential problems

A lot of the time when people from the opposite sex interact it is innocent. But there are times when someone is making inappropriate advances. If you are normally not a super jealous person, but start to feel those pricklings of jealousy when you observe how someone is acting around your significant other, it could be a red flag that something is up. By talking to your significant other about your feelings you can alert them to what is going on, and perhaps stop something before it starts.

4. It can help you learn to be humble

When you have feelings of jealousy towards others, it can be an opportunity for you to learn humility. Instead of being jealous of someones accomplishments, you can learn to be happy for them. It can be hard to not let your jealousy grow and become something ugly. When you start to feel yourself become jealous, stop yourself. Instead of developing feelings of envy, give them a compliment, and try to feel genuinely happy for them. Use it as a tool for good instead of bad.

5. It can remind us not to take things for granted

Sometimes when we are married to someone for a while, we tend to forget, or take for granted, why we fell in love with them in the first place. When we see that someone else is giving attention to them, it can stir some jealous feelings, and remind us that those qualities are still attractive.

Learning to not take this special person for granted is important. Someone may come along and make them feel more special than you have in a while. Dont let that happen. Remind them every day that they are just as special to you now as they were when you met them.

A personality trait can be a cute quirk, or something more serious. By taking something that is usually looked at as negative, and turning it into something that is enduring, is a good thing. Try to bring out the best in your personality, and use your quirks to your advantage.
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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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