During a conversation yesterday I mentioned that For the Birds was quoted this week on Forbes.com - the Forbes Woman Community to be exact... a beautiful collection of worldly topics on all things being woman. A nice "how do you do" to the ladies of Tiger Woods attempting to throw us back to the good ol' ancient Mesopotamian times when it was part of the routine to look yourself in the mirror, say - yeah he's married and kind of a jerk, but he has zillions and maybe, just maybe I can get a reality show out out of this... Or at least a few minutes on Access Hollywood--Damn I love that Billy Bush.... Quick, I need to make myself look almost man-like, with boobs, killer jaw and hair extensions... okay... now, bigger lips--spray that tan all over... And TA-DA!... Yes, you too can go out and build your very own fame via megaloid sex-addicted celebrity super stars. It is that easy.. Just look at Ashley Dupre... the new columnist at the New York Post... don't those glasses make her look smart? But I digress...
During a conversation yesterday I was chatting with my friend Mari, over at Small for Big, about how For the Birds was
quoted this week on Forbes.com - the Forbes Woman Community to be exact. She replied, "Forbes.com? niiiiiiiiice. Maybe I should be a mommy-blogger after all." My eyes grew huge.. I mean HUGE... Mommy-blogger! MOMMY-BLOGGER! NOOOOOOoooooooo! I mean, not that there's anything wrong with it. Not that there's anything wrong with going online and dictating verbatim every living second and movement and FEELING (ew feelings) that I have as a relatively new mom... Not that there's anything wrong with splashing each and every image and/or video of my child online for EVERYONE to see. Every moment... panting.. I'm panting... water! - sparkling lemon effervescence water... whew.
Wait. I don't do any of those things.. okay maybe one or two of them. But how could I not mention the the world's most AMAZING 2 year old every once in a while... okay maybe a little bit more than that.. okay, so maybe every other post.. or ALL THE TIME. Like now.
So, while questioning my entire existence on the internet, I asked Mari, "IS THAT WHAT I AM!" and then reached into my MacPro and pulled out the blog, guts-n-all and headed towards the shredder--MOMMY-BLOGGER! I've been defined! HOW CAN IT POSSIBLY GO ON! As I threw the blog down the stairs.. it bounced and cried out... "I'M NOT A MOMMY-BLOG, I'M NOT! I'M ANYTHING YOU WANT ME TO BE..." And as I reached into the toy box for the wiffle bat... it occurred to me. I'm okay with it. Mommy-Blogger I might be... but this blog is about so many other things (ahem, ME) that it simply can't be just one definition... and then Mari replied, "Frankly, I hate the term. Demeaning somehow. So no, of course that's not what you are, you are ten times more than that. Me too."
And with that, it was settled. The term is demeaning... because there are more Mommy-Blogs out there than there are Humans on this planet... To say it insinuates that the design is homespun, the stories are 2-cent and the humor is.. well "nice", and chances are there are contests, coupons, and mediocre product reviews.. OH MY!... AND, it puts all the words, views, rants and stories into one big massive rolling sphere--LOTS of talking... and not a lot of doing... BUT, in the true definition of a "weblog" - a personal diary made public, there are also TONS of great blogs out there... Blogs like this one (yeah, its all going to my head--Let them EAT CAKE!)... Women that mention their kids here and there... every once in a while... focusing on life and pop culture like the ladies of all things Tiger... or simply LIFE in general... life, you know, being so unpredictable. So who are we?
The answer... after a series of drafts, research and hair pulling... is as complex as it is simple... Do what you want, obviously, but in the world of constant defining and redefining, if you have something to say... Blog about it, but avoid the Mommy-Blog status, remain unique... personal and blog eclectic.
During a conversation yesterday I was chatting with my friend Mari, over at Small for Big, about how For the Birds was
quoted this week on Forbes.com - the Forbes Woman Community to be exact. She replied, "Forbes.com? niiiiiiiiice. Maybe I should be a mommy-blogger after all." My eyes grew huge.. I mean HUGE... Mommy-blogger! MOMMY-BLOGGER! NOOOOOOoooooooo! I mean, not that there's anything wrong with it. Not that there's anything wrong with going online and dictating verbatim every living second and movement and FEELING (ew feelings) that I have as a relatively new mom... Not that there's anything wrong with splashing each and every image and/or video of my child online for EVERYONE to see. Every moment... panting.. I'm panting... water! - sparkling lemon effervescence water... whew. Wait. I don't do any of those things.. okay maybe one or two of them. But how could I not mention the the world's most AMAZING 2 year old every once in a while... okay maybe a little bit more than that.. okay, so maybe every other post.. or ALL THE TIME. Like now.
So, while questioning my entire existence on the internet, I asked Mari, "IS THAT WHAT I AM!" and then reached into my MacPro and pulled out the blog, guts-n-all and headed towards the shredder--MOMMY-BLOGGER! I've been defined! HOW CAN IT POSSIBLY GO ON! As I threw the blog down the stairs.. it bounced and cried out... "I'M NOT A MOMMY-BLOG, I'M NOT! I'M ANYTHING YOU WANT ME TO BE..." And as I reached into the toy box for the wiffle bat... it occurred to me. I'm okay with it. Mommy-Blogger I might be... but this blog is about so many other things (ahem, ME) that it simply can't be just one definition... and then Mari replied, "Frankly, I hate the term. Demeaning somehow. So no, of course that's not what you are, you are ten times more than that. Me too."
And with that, it was settled. The term is demeaning... because there are more Mommy-Blogs out there than there are Humans on this planet... To say it insinuates that the design is homespun, the stories are 2-cent and the humor is.. well "nice", and chances are there are contests, coupons, and mediocre product reviews.. OH MY!... AND, it puts all the words, views, rants and stories into one big massive rolling sphere--LOTS of talking... and not a lot of doing... BUT, in the true definition of a "weblog" - a personal diary made public, there are also TONS of great blogs out there... Blogs like this one (yeah, its all going to my head--Let them EAT CAKE!)... Women that mention their kids here and there... every once in a while... focusing on life and pop culture like the ladies of all things Tiger... or simply LIFE in general... life, you know, being so unpredictable. So who are we?
The answer... after a series of drafts, research and hair pulling... is as complex as it is simple... Do what you want, obviously, but in the world of constant defining and redefining, if you have something to say... Blog about it, but avoid the Mommy-Blog status, remain unique... personal and blog eclectic.
By the way, this pic gave me a very telling peek into your toy lifestyle. LOL. Of course that was after I sent you the new post!
You realize you've just incited your entire readership to think to themselves:
Am I a mommy blogger? Yes I am, because I talk about my kids and how much I want my husband to just get that damned vasectomy already. But, I also talk about what I did before I become the "M" word. Hmmm, do mommy bloggers swear? Is that my 'out'? And, that whole thing about humour....I'm funny. People laugh!! At least, they SAY they do. You know how people lie.
Crap...I don't even know what eclectic means! I always thought it was only used to describe the stuff at Anthropologie. *sigh* Guess I'll go warm up some chicken nuggets for the kids' dinner.
Congrats on the forbes. That's l'awesome. :)
it did occur to me that my internal angst may cause others to evaluate... only the Eclectic ones will do it though!
I know there was a whole lot of angst and profound stuff in there, but it all sounds so sunny as I hum that "Body Electric" song from Fame (the original one). Of course I'm changing the words to: I see the Blogger Eclectic....
Very well said Mom! *ducks out of the wiffle bats way*
It just seems that if you have a blog and have a vagina and happen to have had a child come from said vagina you are....TA DA! Super Duper Mommy Blogger!
I'm not sure what I am. I prefer not to define myself . But I sure do know one thing. In the past few days I have typed the word "vagina" far too many times.
Okay, one more time Ryan. Vagina.
I've got such conflicting feelings on this it causes my blog to look way too adhd. Three to four posts on normal topics and then whammo! I end up writing something about one of my three that has nothing to do with them. Case in point, I did puppets, rock starts and groupie skanks followed by a post on my four year old. Talk about all over the map.
So, Ashley Dupree, someone's mistress (I really hate that word) is going to be giving love advice to New Yorkers? O.M.G.
who knows, she might just shed some light.. you know she'll be shedding something... (oh, that was bad.)
I struggle with this BIG TIME. I just had a baby and write about babies and pregnancy and gross woman stuff but I still HATE being called a "mommy-blogger". It sounds so... slimy. And old. And I am not slimy or old. Do. Not. Like.
It must be a sign that I didn't read this post until now. I left a comment at some other blog giving the writer kudos for embracing the Mommy Blogger label, bravely and openly. (And hers is exactly like what you said here: eclectic.) I wrote: I respect your embracing the mommy blogger label though anybody can see that your blog is “more than” just a mommy blog. Of course, by saying this, I am implicitly looking down on “just” mommy blogs. I think it is interesting, at times frustrating, to ponder why we loathe to be labeled as “mommy bloggers” while at the same time demand to be respected as “mothers”.
I was and still am at a loss on how to explain myself. What's funny is that someone wrote a post, sort of discussing, spun off, as a rebuttal to my comment. So now I cannot stop thinking about what exactly is that I was trying to say. What was my point?
What was the rebuttal post? This topic fascinates me... kind of a what are we all DOING HERE scenario..