This Blogging Thing...

I've been blogging for more than 5 years now, and until recently, hadn't really thought too much about its role in my life. I never took it very seriously in the beginning - it was just a fun way to write about the minutia of life, share it with my friends, or just blow off steam. And I've always enjoyed reading my friend's blogs because it helps me feel connected. Back when Lee used to blog, I loved reading his posts even though we lived in the same house. I just found it very interesting to see what he chose to write about and how he presented an experience we both shared.

When Camille was born, I unintentionally entered a new blogosphere and became a "mommy blogger." Rarely do I post something that has nothing to do with her or parenting, but I'm not apologetic. There just aren't many things more noteworthy to me than watching my child grow.

Several weeks ago, I was invited to present at the BlogSavannah Un-Conference, a sort of local and informal meetup of folks who like to blog. I'm co-presenting with April Groves in a session about working mommy bloggers.

At first, I wasn't sure what we all might be able to talk about that would fill an hour. I still blog mostly for fun, although I now also see it as a way to digitally scrapbook Camille's childhood, and so I guess I take it more seriously. But what is there to say about mommy blogging? "She grows. I write about it. That's it."

Then I started thinking about it more, and read a really neat article about mommy blogging in Wondertime magazine. And now I'm convinced there are a lot of things to discuss. Like, what's bloggable, and what's not? There are plenty of things that have happened that I haven't posted for one reason or another. After all, our children are people too, and do they deserve some privacy? And while moms can be a caring, supportive bunch, they can also be judgmental. I've kept several of my bad mommy moments to myself for fear of judgment. To allow comments, or not to allow comments? And why do we do it? After working all day, taking care of a child, a family, and a home all evening, why do we use those few minutes of "me" time to talk about all the things we just did? Or read blogs written by strangers about what they just did? I crave reading posts from other moms, to hear about the funny stuff their kids are doing, or the awful thing that happened at school, or the embarrassing thing the toddler said to the cashier at the store, about how they dealt with a non-napper, or how they're exhilarated or frustrated or unsure or whatever.

I guess I do it for 2 reasons. I do it because I know every day with Camille is a gift, and blogging is a way to hang on to some of our experiences. I also do it for the same reason I started blogging to begin with - to feel connected. But it's an even stronger connection now. While our children are very different, I think most parents share many common issues, and it's nice to know we're not alone in the good experiences and the not-so-great.

I'm looking forward to tomorrow's UnConference. Should be interesting to see if anyone else thinks this mommy blogging thing is fun too.