I stole this from my friend Stacy's blog. I think it came from an article in Wonder Time magazine, February 2008 issue. These are only a few of the points. They really help me feel good about the time I spend bloggin'.
" Blogging is narcissistic-and time consuming. It gives strangers (not to mention the in-laws) ammunition for criticizing our parenting choices. And one day it could really mortify our kids. Here's why we do it anyway. . ."
"1. To understand that you are not alone. Especially if you're a mother. Someone out there is still awake with a restless toddler or dotting their newborn with Doritos fallout. I read blogs to feel that I am part of something larger, a whole world of other women raising children on this crazy, spinning planet. Being a parent is so frustratingly difficult and blindingly beautiful at the same time. Blogs remind me to celebrate the beautiful and that I am not alone in the difficult.
2. Blogging is the underbelly of scrapbooking. [Only it aint so pretty]. In the scrapbook version of my summer vacation, I would paste together a sunny collage of sea and sand and smiling kids. In the blog version, I might be more inclined to mention the steaming beach Port-A-John where the final quarter of Birdy's sandwich ended up tumbling into the reeking blackness. Blogging might not make life tidier, but it keeps life in your memory and keeps it real.
3. For me and the millions of others who do it, blogging can also be the literary equivalent of streaking through a stadium-15 minutes of slightly crass fame-but over and over again!
4. Writing helps me pay attention as the years fly by. I'm forever scrolling notes on Target receipts about the things the kids say. Because I am seeing our family's life as a funny story I could tell, [I really pay attention].
5. I think blogging actually makes me a better parent because I feel like I'm being watched, even if its only self imposed. It's like the way I am a better parent when there are guests in the house-more inclined to make waffles and play Monopoly. One anonymous blogger puts it 'I go through my day in kind of a compose post mode, where I am actively selecting words to describe my children, their beauty, their quirkiness, their inner lives-and that process helps me to see them, to be mindful of who they are.' Writing gives me a way to step back from my life and really see it. To watch my kids and let the gratitude flood through my veins."
It is so true! Blog on!
2 comments:
Amen! Thanks, now I don't feel guilty for the days that I drop all my housewife duties and blog. Somedays I just want to sit and blog, and forget that the laundry basket is overflowing with stinky burp rags and puked on onesies. Honestly!
Thanks for this! I was just feeling guilty too. But it is a great way for me to remember stuff and feel connected to others during these dang cold days (you are lucky to be in St. George! :) ) Plus, Chris and I do love showing off our kids and sharing the hilarious things they say/do. I have a notebook I've been writing down funny things Ian says, but I'm thinking maybe I'll just go straight to the blog. I'm definitely getting more into this. Your blog is always so cute! Thanks for the inspiration. :)
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