Mommy Blogging is under attack in the media. Charges range from danger to exploitation. What's the truth?
Just when you thought it was safe--hell, therapeutic--to blog about your children, here comes the "war" against Mommy Bloggers. From Kathy Lee Gifford's awkward shutting down of Heather Armstrong on the Today Show (Heather is the author of the blog Dooce), to the Toronto Globe and Mail's article claiming mommy bloggers exploit their children, suddenly mommy bloggers are evil.
Why the backlash? It's impossible to say. There is no doubt that the Internet has changed the face of mothering (at least, it has for those that have access to the Internet).
No longer do you need to wonder if you have the only child that does
THAT (whatever THAT is); you can find and read the personal experiences
of hundreds of other mothers and discover the one thing every Mom needs
to know more than any other--YOU ARE NOT ALONE.
But people wonder if it's safe. They believe Mommy Bloggers are putting their children at risk by talking about them on the Internet. After all, isn't the Internet
the place that all those pedophiles find children to hurt? It must be
true, there is a entire television show devoted to exposing this! So if
you are talking about your children on theInternet you are just ASKING FOR TROUBLE, right?
I'll have to defer to Heather of Dooce on this one. She said, "but then they'd have to admit that when I take you to the grocery store
I am exposing your face to hundreds of strangers, people who can see
what car we drove up in, the license plate number, and the direction we
head home. Maybe we shouldn't ever leave the house, otherwise?
STRANGERS WILL KNOW WHAT WE LOOK LIKE."
I think that cuts to the heart of the matter completely. Our kids are
at risk simply by existing in today's world; writing about their
exploits on the Internet adds NOTHING to that risk.
But what about the other argument? That we are exploiting our children for Internet
fame and ad revenue? Honestly, I have to say this is the silliest
argument I've ever heard. Why is this charge being leveled at Mommy Bloggers? I don't see article after article berating Billy Ray Cyrus for his rash exploitation
of his daughter as the star of the Hannah Montana series (although it
would be nice if he did something about his awful haircut--I'm just
saying). Yet when her bare back is exposed to the camera, it isn't the
parents that get in trouble--it's the magazine and the photographer
that get the brunt of the media attack. Who is exploiting who?
In
the interest of full disclosure, I confess: I do have ads on my
personal blog, and they generate a small amount of cold hard cash for
me each and every month. Why do I do it? Because my goal--my life--is
dedicated to living in such a way that I can be home, every single day,
with my daughter. And guess what? Writing in my blog keeps me sane
(which makes me a better mom), and pays me a little bit so that I can
continue to stay home with her (along with my freelance writing job, of
course--I'm not famous enough to generate enough ad revenue to stop
working too--sadly). What I am doing, I feel, is the exact opposite ofexploiting my child--I'm providing for her.
The
truth is, our world has changed. Moms don't get to see other moms that
much anymore--whether they are working outside the home or living in
the isolating suburbs, we just don't have the face-to-face contact with
other moms that our grandmothers did. Mommy Blogs fill this gap--it's
the Internet version of hanging over the back fence and chatting with the neighbors. I, for one, can see nothing wrong with that
The concern I have isn't so much the safety, it's the written words. If a mommy blogger uses her children's real names, the information about her children exists out there in the web indefinitely. This means that any of your children's future friends, enemies, classmates, and employers can access personal info about your child simply by googling his or her name. Added to this is the fear of identity theft. With your child's name and birth date, which many mothers actually post on their sites, and place of birth, which can be guessed at and which some mother's even post with their child's birth story, birth records can legally be obtained by strangers. As long as moms and dads are discreet about this kind of personal info, I don't see anything wrong with mommy blogs at all. Can you just imagine, though, an innocent post about your 3 year old son's love of nail polish and barbie dolls being emailed to all of his classmates when he is 11? Ouch! It can, and does, happen.
I think mommy blogging is great. Before this- where did new mom's or stay at home moms turn to for support?
I think privacy and keeping identities private is another matter. In school or at the grocery store, if they see you, they also don't have your name, name of your kids and pets, and small details about your life. Also- exposure is different- do you look at safety differently when you visit New York vs a small town where everyone keeps there doors unlocked. The internet is the whole world and once that information is out, it can never be retrieved. How is your child going to feel when their classmates in junior high google their name and get a bunch of stories?
It is possible to be a great mommy blogger and still keep some privacy about personal life.
I don't have a mummy blog, well I sort of do but it sits very neglected in the vast web that is cyberspace!!
BUT, I do write about my children, in other blogs I have, on forums, on msn, I connect with other mums and I love it!
I must be a little paranoid because I have never put much detail about my kids into blog posts, I often refer to their initials instead of their full names, never give my home town, but you know what, people could track down that info if they are really determined to get it!
Mummy blogging is a great tool, the internet is a great tool for mums and it really sounds to me as if some snotty corporates working 90 hour weeks are jealous of what a great life this is!
Oh by the way, while writing this my leg was pee'd on by a 17 month old who has just discovered how to take his diaper off for fun.... Oh the bliss, who would want it any other way LOL
Mom Types 
