Respect the Blog

While I do not consider myself a professional writer in any way, I do consider myself to be an author of sorts. Blogging has allowed me to write about our family in a very personal, and yet a very public, way.

I've not had any formal training in writing, unless you can count my college English class that insisted that we turn in a one-page story every week. In retrospect, I now see that I was blogging way back then. I relished that opportunity to record a memory that was dear to me or to retell the events of a particularly eventful day. Sadly, many in my class didn't feel the same. In fact, I think I was the only freak that loved those writing assignments.

It's no surprise that I have jumped on the Mommy Bloggers Bandwagon. I still love writing, and it's great to be able to connect with others through the bloggy medium. (I don't think that's a real spiritual being, but I may be wrong.) Blogging has helped me realize that I'm not the only mom on the edge of her sanity, that someone actually listens to what I say (there's balm to a mothers' soul), and that moms everywhere are all struggling to feel a little more like a real person and a little less like "Little Junior's Mom."

There are many days when I wonder if blogging is worthwhile. Don't get me wrong - I write for me as well as for you. I love having record of when events took place, of what the kids said at dinner last month, of what I was thinking when I did that stupid thing that I shouldn't have... And I love reading all about your stupid adventures that shouldn't have happened, what your kids said at dinner last month, and what events are taking place at your blog. But it's time consuming, and I know you can feel me on this one. There are days (are there not?) when I think that if I spent more time with my kids and less time on the computer we'd all be happier for it. And it's those days when I start to take serious inventory of what blogging has given me.

While absolutely nothing can replace time spent with kids, I have gained much from blogging. The friendships, the encouragement, the laughs - it all makes it worthwhile. But the single greatest thing that blogging has provided is a Voice for Micah. Without the help of bloggy friends and a public place to record my frustrations, Micah would still be speechless.

There is a growing unrest among professional writers. They are a wee bit frustrated and maybe even a little afraid that we are encroaching on their territory. Some of them even go as far as to say that bloggers are not considered writers. That our stories are diluting the professionalism of newspapers and other media. That we don't matter.

I think differently. If I didn't make my voice heard, Micah would still be speechless. If what I had to say didn't matter, nobody would have reached out and made the voice possible. Whether I've been to school or not, my writing matters. If you don't like this author's writing style, feel free to walk away and go read News Week. That's the beauty of the written word. I don't have to be a professional to make a difference with my writing.