I blog because moments like this need to be immortalized:
Cinder: Mom, I just shot Ender in the balls. Now, under normal circumstances, you’d probably be mad at me. But as he was peeing off the balcony at the time, you should just say, ‘Good job.’ Full story here.
I blog because the world needs more Cinder and Ender penis stories. I mean, is there such a thing as enough? OK, maybe. But just one more…
I blog because I think attachment parenting is an amazing, amazing thing… but I want AP moms to know that this is perfectly normal:
I make no resolutions to yell less. Or discipline more. I will lose my temper, and I will yell, and there will be days when, as I survey the destruction wrought by the whirlwind in the kitchen while I absented myself from his side for five minutes, I seriously ponder just how wrong it would be to put him in the dog’s kennel. Just, you know, for a little while. And there will be days—and weeks—when I’ll be counting the hours until bedtime from 11:15 a.m. And days when, as soon as Sean comes home, I will hand over the entire parenting business to him, and lock myself in the bathroom with a bottle—um, glass, I meant to type glass, glass—of wine. (From Embracing Chaos: unParenting unResolutions)
I blog because I want Flora—and other Sensitive Seven and Emotional Eight girls out there, and their mothers—to know how loved she is (they are). And how amazing. And also, how exhausting. I want her to look back at these moments, these days, when she’s a mother. I don’t want her to put me on an unachievable mothering pedestal. I want her to see I struggled. I want her to know it was hard.
But, worth it, Mom? Was it worth it?
I blog because I had a toddler who beat the crap out of other children—and his parents—and he’s grown up to be the most amazing, caring, sensitive, responsible pre-teen… and I want you—you, exhausted, petrified mom of a mini-Caveman—I want you to know that you’re not raising a psychopath. It’s a stage. It’ll pass. You’ll survive.
And maybe, I blog because I don’t want to wait until I’m dead and famous before the world reads my diaries. (While the odds are excellent that I will indeed be dead one day, that famous thing? Not so much. And let’s face it, boys and girls, be you Susan Sontag, Jane Austen or Anne Frank, if you write something down, you’re secretly or not-so secretly writing for a reader. If you really wanted to keep it secret—you wouldn’t write it down. You know it’s true.)
I blog because I want to. And so I do. Reason enough.
##
This post is part of the Finish The Sentence Blog Hop, co-hosted by, inter alia, Janine Huldie of Confessions of A Mommyaholic, Stephanie Sprenger of Mommy, for Real and Kristie Campbell of Finding Ninee. The sentence—obviously–is I blog because. More answers here…
Why do you blog? And for beautiful, usually silent majority of non-bloggers in the audience—why don’t you? Tell me.
xoxo
Jane
P.S. This week, on Undogmatic Unschoolers, I quote John Holt (again, I know, what can I say, he rocks) and take you on a little walk through my house as I confess that there is, indeed, a secret reason as to why I’m so chill about my late reader.
P.P.S. Meanwhile, my professional alter-ego is dreaming the future landscape of Calgary for Avenue magazine, prognosticating on the future of Husky Energy under Asim Ghosh, and trying to convince people that greener oil is the key to Keystone XL at Canadian Business.
Nothing By The Book 
Totally reason enough and just so glad that you do blog and that we have gotten to know each other better through it. Thank you so much for linking this up with us and you know I always love hearing about your life and kids (can never quite get enough!).
xoxo
OMG laughing out loud at raising a caveman and hope (so badly) that things turn out the same for my son who is struggling with control issues right now. I, too, am a HUGE believer in attachment parenting and not believing in letting baby cry it out was part of why I started writing. When my memoir failed my patience factor, I started blogging. Awesome stuff. Sharing.
Impulse control. It does come. Eventually. (As I keep on repeating to myself as I look at my second caveman)
Cheers to that. Yes, the penis stories need to be memorialized, and no, there can never be too many. And sharing your knowledge and perspective with other moms, all the while being a source of comfort, is a most valuable thing. Thanks for linking up with us- I was really looking forward to reading your thoughts on blogging.
xoxo
Well, this was just so damn great, I can’t take it. Cannot take it.
❤
I actually started blogging before I realized it was called blogging in 2008. I started a blogspot page for the impending birth of my first child. I started to veer waaaaay off topic and ended up offending my in-laws so I said eff it, and started my public blog (because that was the answer, right?). They hate it, I love it, and it’s still a tribute to my kids and (more?) importantly, ME. I’ve met amazing women like you who have kick ass typewriters and who have validated some of the choices I’ve made and thoughts I’ve dared to speak. So cheers to us, Jane!!!!
Cheers. We fucking rock.
Well, YOU fucking rock. I just try to keep up 😉
P.S. Thanks for the Twitter love.
This comes at a perfect timing, thank you my dear friend, you FUCKING rock!!!
xoxo
Wonderful!!!
Me too! My children don’t have much in the way of scrapbooks and photo albums (those require organizational skills) but they’ll have my blog. Hmm…I need to go back and reread some of those posts.
Quick! Before they become fully literate! Mine are trying to figure out how to hack it…
Yes. Yes. yes. I don’t want to be dead before I’m read either. Profound !
Or self-indulgent. But, you know. It’s my blog so it can be.
Could’nt disagree on your thoughts…Sweet memories should always be cherished 🙂
TGIF
and to you too
When I see a new post from you, I’m always excited because you instantly make me RELAX as a parent. There’s just something about you that makes me momentarily forget about the stick in my ass, you know?? What can I say? You bring out the best in me. Oh, and I love the penis stories. 🙂 xoxoxo
It’s cause the penis stories make you feel good about having a girl, right?
I love this post Jane! Love that your son sounds like my son! And that you think of chucking the whole thing too! We are proud and strong attachment parents, but people envision some peaceful perfect household, and that’s not it! Can’t find the kitchen counter so I’m typing from the floor!
Do I blog? I think I “glog” more than blog. That is garden + blog haha. I mostly do it to create a gallery of photos I want to look at and share (as I post pictures far more often that I write things). When I do write I try to be witty and funny and make people laugh (or at least chuckle). I’ve never signed up for facebook or twitter or any of those things (no particular real reason I just never got around to signing up) but finally broke down and joined the world of social media February of 2013 with Spy Garden so it has been really cool to see all these different perspectives of people in blog-world. I’d never heard of attachment parenting or un-schooling or many other things but I’ve found I have lots in common with different types of families all over the world. Which is cool in a kumbaya cheese sort of way:). If I had a dog kennel I would’ve probably let my 2 year old…um…”play” in it many times by now HAHAHAHA I mean, we built a fence to keep deer OUT of our garden but it also keeps baby IN.. HAHA
Glog. A new word is born. 🙂
unfortunately I can’t take credit for it! Got it from http://www.yourgardenshow.com (which technically was my real first foray into social media). It is kind of like a facebook for gardeners and they coined the term “glog” so far as I know! It is a great word!
Yep, those are some damn good reasons to blog. 🙂 Keep it up!
Same to you. xoxo
Fabulous post! So many fantastic reasons for blogging! Congrats! and do keep at it. I’m an oldie, but I can still understand the motivations, the thought processes, the…etc.etc. So have a good day and I’ll see you around!
Thanks Joan. Enjoyed your FTSF post as well. And these days, you’re the only Spanish I’m reading… I should pull those books out again before it all disappears from the cortex.
So great. I liked the idea that when you write, you write for a reader, no matter what. I once shredded an entire year worth of journaling because I couldn’t bear to read it myself ever again let alone have anyone else read it. Blogging, well, that’s different, isn’t it. So glad we met!
I burned/shredded all my teen journals in my 20s for the same reason.
And I love this about blogging, too. How else would we have met, right? How many thousands of miles separate us? Another one of my blog-soul-mates here is in Greece… I love that.
Totally! I’m just sort of happening upon this phenomenon, actually, because I’m the tiniest bit antisocial. 😉
You really shared your world in this post, and it is clear that you see your children with the most compassionate and loving eyes. Really beautiful.
I’m so glad you linked up with #FTSF this week. I’m sorry I’m so behind at checking everyone out! I think APs have it rough. When you tell most people you’re an AP, they either think you’re crazy or have no idea what you’re talking about. We are mixed parents, but I have influenced more AP into the Hubs than he originally thought I would 🙂
I’m moved. It’s hard to sit perfectly still 😉
Seriously, or not thanks this is my favourite of all your posts. OK I haven’t read ‘all’ of them. Sorry!
I do not have children (my biggest regret and wish, but I am neither dead or famous yet). My favourite parts, that do move me, “And how amazing. And also, how exhausting. I want her to look back at these moments, these days, when she’s a mother. I don’t want her to put me on an unachievable mothering pedestal. want her to see I struggled. I want her to know it was hard. ”
“.., if you write something down, you’re secretly or not-so secretly writing for a reader. If you really wanted to keep it secret—you wouldn’t write it down. You know it’s true.)”
I want the world to know many similar things. I want the world to be able to share them, be interested instead of threatened by others opinions and experiences. I want the world to learn to communicate and truly share and build a heaven that is ours. (I appear to want a lot?!)
Thank you for your contribution to a better world 🙂
It’s good to want things, no?
I missed a comma. Second line after ‘or not’ potentially altering the intention of that sentence. Sorry.
Forgiven.