Wednesday, July 8, 2015

Blogging about my Baby

So, as you know I love to blog. I really love it, I am not shy, and I don't mind telling people intimate things about myself. It does not bother me (usually) when people judge me, and I don't get embarrassed easily. I am who I am. I love blogging about myself and what I have learned and am going through.

My husband is shy, and he likes to keep his private things private. I try to ask him before I blog about something that concerns/relates to him, and 75% of the time he says he would rather not have whatever-it-is on my blog. (so many things I've never posted! Oh, the things you guys have missed). Sometimes, through he says yes, and that is thrilling! He's just more personal than me, and I try to respect that, even if sometimes it annoys me when I want to write about something...

That brings me to thoughts on blogging about my offspring.


Said offspring is still in my uterus, all comfy and cuddled up tight against my bladder poking his little hands into my belly and being all adorable and snugly. I knew I'd have to think about what I wanted to share with the world on my blog, and how much I wanted to share, and if sharing at all was even appropriate, because babies, unlike adult husbands, can't really give "consent".

I know I want to blog about parenting. I like being vocal about my life and blogging is really relaxing and fun to me. However, I don't want to embarrass my children. I don't want them to feel uncomfortable later in life about anything I've posted of them, and I also want to be able to remove any pictures or posts easily if they, one day, don't approve.

I can think of several things I did as a child and as a teen when I was learning about the world that if my mom had blogged about or told friends I would have felt not only upset, but betrayed by her. I don't want that with my kids.

After talking with my husband (who was against, at first, of even the thought of me putting a picture of our baby on the internet) I've decided to take it slow. I want to share my experiences but I don't want to put Reuben or any of my children in a compromising situation! I am Reuben's mom through, and I don't think sharing a picture or two or talking about breastfeeding or cloth diapering is going overboard. But it is true that many things will have to stay private, because Reuben is a minor and I don't wish to ever take advantage of that. He can't give consent. He would probably just tell me what I wanted to hear, like most kids do because I'm his mom and he trusts me. I want to honor that trust!

Anyway, what are your thoughts on blogging about offspring? I'd love to hear them. Honestly, I love reading blogs and personal stories about parenting. There is a time and a place, and they do help me feel less alone and cope on my own individual parenting journey. I'm just trying to traverse this topic myself and, boy, is it a little over my head.

1 comment:

Brita Long said...

I definitely think there's a line that each blogging parent has to figure out. (And some definitely cross the line, unfortunately). I think there are some things that have more to do with parenting than the kids, and those are okay to share. Like your birth story, your experiences with breastfeeding, co-sleeping, and cloth-diapering, your decision-making process (later on) regarding diet, schooling, discipline, etc.