Blogging About Teens

Not you. I should have said "us"- or maybe just "me." I was referring to the heartwarming experience of coming across one of those texts or fb posts in which they expound upon how lucky they are to have such wise and caring parents...

Have I seen what my teenagers write about me? Is that what you mean? In my case, yes. My stepdaughter has a blog and she writes about me about as much as I write about her, and that's pretty much not at all, except incidentally.

Suburban Kamikaze Um...have you seen what they write about you?

http://www.suburbankamikaze.com

I just started my blog in August and I write exclusively about my teens and how their issues connect with my own.  I don't use names and only post an occassional picture. They know they can read it anytime. I often hear, "God mom, are you going to put that in your blog?"  So far though, they seem to be ok with all of it.  They sometimes want to read a post, too. Sometimes.

http://www.2teen.wordpress.com

The kids determine what and how much info I share about them. Outgoing 18 year old boy loves to be photographed and in the spotlight. Shy 14 year old girl permits no photos or overly specific stories. They both have pseudo-pseudonyms (their real-life nicknames) or I don't think I'd write about them at all.  As it is, I try to be sensitive when they seem to need time off. That's why I write about them in spurts. The big no-no Line-That-Must-Not-Be-Crossed for me is tales or photos including their friends. As a mom I'd be furious to find my kid's story or picture on a random website.

My Blog: http://www.cannedlaffs.com

I'm still a number of years off but it is something that I've thought about before.  I've been writing about my two sons since the beginning, it would be hard to stop.  But if I were asked to stop writing about them, I would have to respect their desire for privacy.  It's too bad because Kids can really be funny.

 I don't use their real names on the blog so hopefully it would bring them some comfort knowing that.  

Maria Melo

http://www.conversationswithmoms.com

I am the mom of two boys, 14 and almost-17. I am very careful to not write publicly about anything that would mortify or embarrass them (though sometimes it's hard to hold back!), but they do know that as a writer, I, well, WRITE. I write about family and as two important members of the family, they are included in my blog. I don't write ONLY about my teens, but they are a part of the puzzle, you know? I share stories about them in a flattering (to them) way, rather than making fun of them. 

I started blogging only two years ago, so I didn't have that struggle
of going from sharing any- and everything about my young boys to censoring myself as they got older, which is nice.

Really, being a 40-going-on-23-year-old (mentally) mom of two teen boys gives me another angle in my blogging: ADVICE to the moms of little ones. I get all kinds of comments from my younger mommy friends saying, "wow, thanks for the heads up" or "this is a great way to deal with such and such: I'll have to remember that!"

I used to get the "are you going to blog about this??" from my boys, but that has slowed down. Frankly, my older son is too busy to care about my little old blog.

My younger one happens to read my blog now and then (he thinks I don't know it, but he also has no idea how sitemeter works. ha ha), and has helped me with some video for it. I think he secretly likes the idea of being featured in what I write, and in fact he'll be VERY excited about today's post because it's all about him. ;)

My fave blogger in the teen arena is Liz at This Full House ( http://www.thisfullhouse.com/ )(you can get that check in the mail today, Liz. okthanksbai)  but there are so many of us out there; there's someone (or lots of someones!) for everyone!

Melisa

Suburban Scrawl ( http://thesuburbanscrawl.blogspot.com )

 I have a 15 yr old and I clear all incidents with her before I blog them.  She is also the reason I run a PG-13 blog.  Though I would love to be a bit edgier, knowing my daughter reads it keeps me reined in.  That's just the way it is.

 But the censorship doesn't just extend to the blog.  She hates having her picture taken. I insist, just so that I have proof she had a happy childhood. I have to have some ammo against her therapy later in life!  i have a ton of pictures of the back of her head, or hair or anything but her face. She is good at turning away at the last minute.

It can be tough when something really good happens and she doesn't want me to blog it. But usually if it is told in the right light, she will let me write about it.  I am also sensitive about what i write about our family. But the kids are trained, and we carry a notebook in the car where notes are written in order to boost my memory of incidents they consider "blog-worthy." They actually say, "Are you gonna blog that?"

 But the private life of my daughter is pretty much off limits. It's a fine line. I am already by her admission, "so cool as to be uncool".  Too much transparency in blogging is something she finds mortifying.  Me?  Ah, life is an open book. If you ask (and even if you don't) you'll probably find out.  That's me.  Good recipe for teenage mortification.(though I am pretty sure that's my job, right?)

T@SendChocolate

Send Chocolate ( http://www.sendchocolatenow.com )

Sweet Schoolin' ( http://sweetschooling.blogspot.com )

Autism Sucks ( http://autismsucksrocks.blogspot.com/ )

columist at:

TypeAMom Special Needs Parenting ed. ( http://www.typeamom.net/index.php?Itemid=100053&am... )

LA Special Needs Kids Examiner ( http://www.examiner.com/x-9121-LA-Special-Needs-Ki... )

Before my stepdaughter hit teendom, I wrote about her a little bit, just general stories about how kids are. But when she reached that age and began blogging herself, I realized that I didn't necessarily want her to write about our disagreements. And therefore I should offer her the same courtesy. So I didn't really mention her, except in very general terms. (Not to mention I didn't want it to provide any fodder for her mom getting upset.)

I've been blogging since 2002, and what I write and how I write have changed so much (I closed off my old archives a long time ago, but they're still hanging in the background).

My son is 18 months old right now, and I'm sure I'll have to decide when he's older what's okay and what's not. And it may be that he'll decide for me, much like Chris' son did. I'll have to wait and see.

Becky
misspriss.org ( http://misspriss.org/ )
beckyscorner.com ( http://beckyscorner.com/ )
organizedmother.com ( http://organizedmother.com )

Another reason I LOVE Liz:

There are lots of unfinished stories to be told and it really bothers me to
think that there are people (you know, the ones who know everything) who really
do believe moms with teeneagers are just itching for really good blog
fodder and have nothing worthwhile to add this (or, any) conversation.

Untrue and very unfair, actually.

 Someone, somewhere decided that moms of teens are no longer relevant and no longer have stories to tell.  Trust me. We have more than you can imagine.  

I have been blogging (like Liz and Busy Mom) for over 6 years and the stories change, the theme changes but the fact that I blog and am a mom has not. Is everything on my blog about my teens? Of course not. How boring would that be?  But for a HUGE demographic to be lumped into a group that is thought to not blog about their teens simply because they are teens in inaccurate.  I think we are just as careful now about our stories as we were when they were younger.  I tried to be aware of what would be insulting/embarrassing to them as small children just as I am now.  Some bloggers won't consider anything off limits.  

It is the blogger not the age of the children that draws that line of what to blog and what not to blog.  At least from what I have observed.

We're out there. A lot of us.  You just have to look beyond your Pampers to find us. ;-)

~Jennifer Satterwhite~

Personal blog: Mommy Needs Coffee ( http://mommyneedscoffee.com )

Columnist:  Parenting Magazine  ( http://forums.parenting.com/blogs/mommy-needs-coff... )

( http://mommybloggers.com )

My kids are almost 13 and 12.

 They haven't been asked to be removed from the blog but I have always been very careful to get their permission before writing and publishing *any* story about them.

I was a dork mocked and ridiculed in junior and senior high school so I'm sensitve to not putting anything on the net that they feel will cause them embarassment.

They are already mortified enough to have me as their mother.

the wiser I feel, for not just creating a pseudonymous blog, but for keeping it a secret from basically everyone that I know IRL. It's a pain, once in a while, to not be able to share the good posts with friends. But in the long run, I think it's paid off. My kids don't read my blog (yet)--at 9 and 5, they know about it, but don't really understanding blogging--but they will not have to worry about other people reading things about them online and then mentioning it to them.

 Jozet has some pretty good advice there, too.

My now 10 year old put the brakes on when she was already eight. Someone mentioned something to her that was written on my blog, and she was mortified. There have been one or two unforunate stories I've already heard about "Ha ha, your mom blogs about you!"...not my child, thankfully, but other bloggers who have had to tear down the blog/Facebook/etc. and go further undercover.

The deal is that I get permission to write stories first from my kids, the humor has to be firmly pointed in my direction, not theirs, and if they want something pulled from online, I pull it.

We also had to have a discussion about why mommy tells "mommy stories" and had a lesson in hyperbole for the sake of humor. As a result of her comedy 101 training, she now is ready to do stand-up in the Catskills this summer.

And the way she keeps me honest is that she already has her own blog. A whole other post might be how do parents handle when their kids start blogging/Fabebooking about  *them*. Because it comes around, and payback - even all in good fun -  is, as they say, a female dog.

Halushki.com

Like Busy Mom, I started blogging nearly 6 years ago and -- even though my
two oldest babies are now 15 and 13-- I still blog about pretty much the same
stuff.  Minus, the potty training stories.

Still.

There are lots of unfinished stories to be told and it really bothers me to
think that there are people (you know, the ones who know everything) who really
do believe moms with teeneagers are just itching for really good blog fodder and have nothing worthwhile to add this (or, any) conversation.

Untrue and very unfair, actually.

Then again, my blog has always been more about...um...me, raising a large family
and my attempts at keeping This Full House from falling apart, while making
other mothers feel better.

In fact, now that my kids are 15, 13, 10 and 7, I can't help but confess that
the fun has only just begun and the therapeutic value of my blogging has
increased exponentially with each birthday that passes, mine and theirs.

You're welcome!

--------------------------------------------

This Full House ( http://thisfullhouse.com )

This Full House Reviews ( http://thisfullhouse.com/reviews )

Imperfect Parent ( http://www.imperfectparent.com )

If you started blogging when your kids were little, it does get harder to write about them as they get older, and I will have TWO teens in a couple of months!

For me, there's no certain rules. If it doesn't "feel right" I don't write it and I write as if they will read it, even though they probably won't, though I know Busy Girl reads sometimes even though she says she doesn't.

I try to keep it to stories as I have experienced the kids, rather than just flat out narrarating their lives. 

Busy Mom Blog ( http://busymom.net )

I Blog about my teens, tweens and liitle guys. My oldest is 15. She will read my blog once in a while. I just started blogging. I guess I have lived under a rock these last 6 years and never really new it exsisited outside of myspace.  I had wrote a blog about one of her ex boyfriends and she was happy about it. So far I haven't gotten the 'mom dont post that please" My kids are pretty comical so I dont think they will have a problem with me blogging.

~~Vanessa~~

www.RamblingsOFaSAHM.com ( http://www.ramblingsofasahm.com/ )