A Look at "Mommy Blogs"

Blogging, or writing in a web log, is a pervasive activity that is being practiced by all sorts of people. The media has begun to treat bloggers as respected guests and sources of information. Parents are also blogging about their children and their misadventures in parenting.

I've been looking at what I like to call "mommy blogs" for a while now. They range from very private, viewable only by those with access to the website, to commercial ventures where moms share information and essays on parenting in a format similar to an e-zine.

I debated whether or not a "mommy blog" was right for me. Part of the problem I have is time: do I honestly have the time to consistently post things that are worth anyone's time to read? I finally decided yes (mainly after viewing my sister's blog). So far I am mainly posting essays on autism in general and my experience with my children (both have autism). I've revealed some personal stories that can be viewed in many different ways. I can see other parents of children with special needs reading the blog and sympathizing with me; I can just as easily picture other parents reading the blog and thinking that I am a crappy parent.

This brings me to one of the cons: anything you post can (and maybe will) be used against you. Say, for instance, you don't like something your mother-in-law got your kids and you sold it on eBay for $5, or how you have no intention of taking your friend's parenting advice seriously (come on, she doesn't even have kids! And no, her seven house pets don't count as "real kids"). So keep in mind that anything you wouldn't want to say in person might not be something to include in your blog.

However, I'd like to post a pro here as well: you can share your little daily stories that you might not have time to share with relatives and friends who live far away. By the time you settle down for a nice phone call, or heck even an email, you might forget about that cute little thing your kids did. Or you wonderful little children might decide to have an all out, full contact fight while you are talking or typing. By having a blog that you update now and again you can portray the cute stories and anecdotes online once and all of your friends or relatives can read it on your blog.

So keep in mind how you will come across to relatives, friends, and (if you care) the random people who read your blog. Also remember that you can edit your entries or pull them down all together. This isn't a fool proof way of erasing your posts, as cached sites, emailed versions, and copy and pasted document versions of your blog may still exist somewhere.