Thoughts on Mommy Blogs

This may irritate some people, but it is not intended to.

Though I am a mom, I have never been a "mommy blogger." Truth be told, I even had a bad attitude about them. The average woman has so much more to her than just being a mom, that I've always wondered about women who define themselves strictly in relation to their children.

Despite that, today I followed a link to a mommy blog that really touched me. The writer discussed how difficult it is to be a mom, how there is a lot of self doubt and guilt. She even mentioned seeing a mom crying as she pushed her child in a stroller, and how she reacted to that mom.

I didn't quite capture the emotion of the blog, but I'll just say my first thought was, "Wow! I've been there!" I've had the doubt and the guilt (don't even ask me about the school production of Grease) and lots of tears. It can be overwhelming.

Recently, I apologized to my 22-year-old daughter for some things I have felt guilty about for years. To me these were pretty big parenting mistakes and I felt horrible. I honestly thought she needed to know I had not intentionally failed her.

She turned to me and listed her major accomplishments (so far), which included that she will be graduating from college this June. After the fairly long and impressive list she said: I think I turned out OK. YOU need to get over it.

She is absolutely right. I need to get over it. (She knew I was flawed long before I did!) Parents are human beings. For whatever reason, no matter how good our intentions, we make mistakes. And if we are lucky, the things we do right will outnumber the mistakes. And if we are REALLY lucky, our mistakes will just make our kids stronger.

So, no, I am not a mommy blogger and I never will be. But based on the writing of one mom, I have a new respect for the women who do it well. It's not easy being a mom and it isn't easy being a good mommy blogger.

Tomorrow I'll probably feel a little guilty about my initial comments in this post.