EXCLUSIVE: Influencer Shikie on parenting in the spotlight
Influencer Michelle Wanjiku, commonly referred to as Shikie in entertainment circles, has shared the fears she carries with her when it comes to sharing content that includes her daughters on social media.
Speaking exclusively to Nairobi News, the mother of two said the fear of sharing what she describes as sensitive content lingers at the back of her mind when years go by.
Shikie disclosed that she is aware that not every person on social media has the best of intentions and she tries her best to protect her little ones from any sort of negativity.
“That fear stays with you always. And it’s not just around sharing the content, it’s just part of being a parent. I’m cognisant of the fact that there are bad people out there, there are people who choose to just be mean,” Shikie remarked.
She continued;
“Luckily I haven’t experienced much of that, but yes, it is a fear that kind of like, still lives at the back of my mind. So I try to be calculated in what I share. I try not to share things that are very controversial. And when I do share something that could be perceived in a maybe not the best way by certain people, I just go in knowing that there might be, you know, a bit of backlash.”
Shikie went into detail about the deep sitted fears she has whenever she takes her kids out saying that some people may try to take photos or videos of her kids without her consent which is something she does not approve of.
“I think just the fact that when I’m out with my kids, I’m hyper aware of the fact that there may be people there that know my kids and maybe keeping an eye on what’s happening a bit more than they should. You know, for example, if I go to a restaurant with a playground or whatever, I know there might be other parents there that might know my kids from the internet,” said Shikie.
She added that sometimes people may take things out of context when it’s in relation to her kids which is something she worries often about.
“And my worry is just kind of like, is somebody looking for something that my kids are doing? Cause you know, kids, when they’re out, wherever they are, they will be themselves. Yeah. So I think one of the things that I’m a bit nervous about sometimes is, is whether my kids being themselves out there is going to be taken by someone else and just spun into a bad thing,” she said.
“How I’ve navigated, I, I’m not sure. I don’t know. It’s just one of those things that, you know, you can’t tell the kids, don’t play this way, don’t do that because of other people. You just let them be,” she shared.
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