So I went to check out the blog of one of our new members (Rachael Brownell) today, and she was talking about the recent controversy over blogging moms...namely this one . What do you think? Do you think it's inappropriate to blog about our kids? (I'm guessing I know the answer:-P) I've submitted the article to the News section so that we can talk about it there too.

I saw that, as well as several other blog posts, articles, stories, etc. online relating to all of this mommyblogging stuff. I myself wrote about it in my own blog several weeks ago. This was prior to reading this particular peice. You can check out my post here and also here. My theories are more related to the whole financial expoiltation of blogs and bloggers than the children, but it all speaks to this whole huge mommy blogging phenomenon. I am not sure that it is necessarily exploiting your kids merely by blogging about them. Most of these blogs have some level of anonymity to them. I think that for the 'mommyblogging' set, kids and family are your #1 area of source material for your writing. I think you have to ask yourself why you are blogging and what you are hoping to get out of it. If you are running to the computer jotting down every zany thing that little Billy does in hopes that that is going to be the big entry that garners you a book deal or a invite to the next J&J Camp Baby, well, that seems a little expoiltive to me. But, if you are blogging because you love it, because you want to write, because you love the support and the network, then I think it is a whole other ball game. I just hope that ther moms and dads who do not maintain anonymity and also utlize their children in their blogs, relaize that it is a crazy world out there and that they keep tjheir families safe.

I just went and checked out the first post that you linked to, and I have to totally agree!!! I don't know how other moms have time to do the blogging that they do. I'm lucky to get to do the posts that I have up there....and I always have to blog about what I know...research? what's that? Thanks for the response. It's cool to hear another angle! Going to check out your other post now.

Blogs have gone a long way to bring mom's out of isolation, particularly those of us who don't find as much time to get out and socialize the way we did before the stork left the screaming bundles of joy on our doorsteps. I personally am better at articulating my thoughts and feeling in my writing, but I'm not always so successful in trying to talk about them. Blogging is a therapeutic outlet as far as I'm concerned. There might be a time when my kids ask me not to talk about them on my blog and I will respect their requests but until then....what kind of mom would I be if I didn't provide at least one reason for my child to sit on a shrink's couch and complain about me?

The best blogs are from the writers who are truly passionate, articulate, and have done their homework on whatever it is they are blogging about--and if you're a mom, well...what better subject?
my personal mean and nasty thought is, who are we to judge what's okay and what's not okay for these families? And if folks doing the judging , as parents, are busy doing that kind of judging, what is that teaching their children? (as I sit here and judge the judgers-it's a viscous circle baby).
There is no rule book on what/how/when to parent correctly.

and, my favorite pet peeve, if you feel the need to be mean to someone, leave your real name and email address--have some backbone for goodness sakes --you anonymous weasels (no bashing there!!)