I recently read an article about Jon Gosselin and his life with his eight children. Jon and his wife have made the decision to allow segments of their lives and the lives of their children to be documented for a television series on TLC called Jon & Kate Plus 8. While I might question the wisdom of focusing so much publicity on the lives of children, I can empathize with Jon when he says that every time he watches a segment of the documentary, he sees himself through the eyes of the camera rather than through his own eyes. He states that watching the segments of himself on the screen is like marriage counseling and he finds himself apologizing at times and trying to learn how to be a better spouse and parent.

I wonder how much my interactions with others would change if I were on television. The camera would only record the outward behavior, not the intent of my actions. I would probably discover that I frequently act in ways that are consistent with what I am thinking or wanting to communicate to others. My parenting skills like Jon’s would probably improve if I were to see myself through the camera lens rather than through my own biases. I think today and tomorrow and the next day, I will try to imagine how the camera would record my actions.