One thing is for sure about the blogosphere: there is a huge number of mommy bloggers. These women offer a wide range of ideas and opinions on an endless variety of topics, including (but certainly not limited to) natural births, breastfeeding, co-sleeping, homeschooling, socializing, eating vegan, tips for traveling with children, potty training, husbands, friends, recipes, crafting (pinterest anyone?) pre-school options, and so much more. I imagine this can be helpful for some mothers and intimidating for others…there’s always a new, different and (perceived) better way of doing things.
You may wonder why I’m reading these blogs, considering my children are 20 and 22 years old. There are a couple of reasons. First, they are hard to avoid. One of the sites where I publish my posts, blogher.com, has a vast range of bloggers, but I’d venture to guess that the great majority of them are mommy bloggers. I like to read them to see what is up with young moms today, just for comparison’s sake and to keep current. Plus, the headlines are so enticing. For example as I write this, one of the hottest posts on blogher.com is “I Choose My Kids Over Friends and Me-Time.” This sentiment is very popular among a segment of mommy bloggers. I have to believe that access to the internet and online contacts makes it a little less compelling to run out for drinks with the girls once a week. With so many friends in the virtual world, it’s easy to be at home and with your kids all the time and still feel some sense of intellectual and adult connection. All I had was a landline!
The thing many of these 24/7 moms don’t give much thought to is later. As in, when the kids are grown and gone later. Listen, I was a stay-at-home mom who was always happy for a night out or lunch with my girlfriends, and I didn’t give much thought to it either. When my youngest left for college I wished I had – because it took me a while to figure out what to do next. I would urge young mothers to keep a little piece of themselves to grab hold of later on. But I realize that telling a new mother this is like telling a high school kid that their first love won’t last. There is no way to know this until you live it.
Because of the blogosphere we are coming into contact with so many people that we would probably never meet in real life. For example, I knew no one that homeschooled their children while my kids were growing up. Since I’ve been blogging I have communicated with dozens and dozens of people who are passionately committed to homeschooling. It’s been a real eye-opener for me. Recently I engaged in some very interesting discussions about homeschooling after writing a blog post in response to a 12most.com article about homeschooling. I learned so much.
What I consider to be a good mother and what others consider to be a good mother are, in some cases, vastly different. The conversations I both observe and participate in online have opened my eyes to so many fascinating ideas.
I only wish I had the internet and blogging when my kids were small. It would have made those long afternoons at home with toddlers so much easier. Mommy bloggers, you are fantastic. Keep on blogging.
Blogging has changed so much. I would have loved to have a global community to consult when my kids were small. Great Post.
grown and flown recently posted..Are We Really Friends?
Yes, wouldn’t it have been great to have virtual friends to talk with when our children were small?
Sharon we are on the same wavelength. Just this morning, I was thinking about all the young mothers in the blogging universe and how I make a point to read them..I’m so impressed with what all they have to say and where they are in their thirtyishness..they are so well informed and seem further along than I was at their age. And then I started thinking about how I was going to suggest to my daughter that she keep one foot in her work should she ever decide to be a SAHM…for just the same reasons you spoke of. Great minds…:) Thanks for the post really enjoyed it
Amy, I have told my daughter the same thing. I loved being a SAHM, but I have a hard time imagining her loving it the way I did. Also, I’ve told her to have some money of her own! Thanks for reading, and I’m so glad we found each other!
Hi from Social Media Girl friends.
Yes the Internet has certainly helped remove isolation for new mums.we live in a large geographic area that despite its relatively sparse population,is called the City of Kawartha Lakes.
I started our Kawartha Lakes Mums blog, and social connections to help try to connect families with other families , organizations,and businesses.
Please pop by and say Hi!
Suzanne @Kawartha Lakes Mums recently posted..Kawartha Food Source Battle of the Bands!
Thanks for coming by – I will definitely come by and see what Kawartha Lakes is all about.
Hmmm… What makes a good mom, very catchy title, and the answer is still a mystery as all of us can’t look to our own mom as a perfect example. As far as not being totally disconnected while raising young kids with the help of social media, I think, think again! Although it helps to get your thoughts out on a screen and share them with total strangers, nothing really substitutes for face to face tangible relationships. Social media is a function of so many of us being disconnected and looking for any substitute out there.. Yes it’s better than nothing in a very busy ADD kind of world, but I think we’ll all regret it if we put too high a percentage of our time to develop relationships with ‘virtual’ friends. Make every effort to go out there in the real world, volunteer, take a class, try a new job, get to know your next door neighbor, join a ‘new comers’ club in your local Y, go to town/community events, take up a sport, etc, etc.. but don’t stay home infront of a screen and set a bad example for your kids to do the same! That is social suicide and will get you nowhere when your kids finally leave the house.. Good luck everyone!