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Everyone expects mommy bloggers to write about their kids. In fact, many women who write a so-called mommy blog are only too happy to transcribe every detail of Junior's life -- first steps, first words, and every occurrence in-between and beyond. Share and share some more seems to be the order of the day when it comes to talking about our kids.
Less common are the mom bloggers who have a lot to say about their own parents and/or families of origin. That's not surprising, I suppose; we're adults, and most adults don't spent a lot of time talking about their own parents. Of course, there are the bloggers whose parents blog, as well. (I think I wrote a post about those blogging duos a while back, in fact.) And sometimes you come across a blog where the blogger's folks clearly read along and maybe even comment.
I often joke that my father is a celebrity on my personal blog; when I wrote a post for him on his birthday, readers left over a hundred comments -- most encouraging me to buy the man a pony owing to his obvious long-suffering temperament in putting up with me for all these years. For my dad's part, he left the best comment:
This post is so..so much better than a pony.
Can I send it to everyone I know?
Thank you, thank, thank you.
I love you.
I'm not the only blogger paying a bit of homage to the parental units, nor the only one taking a break from my role as mom to talk about my role as a daughter. There's just something about becoming a parent, yourself, that gives you a new appreciation of what our parents went through with us. BlogHer's own Rita from Surrender, Dorothy, gave a shout out to her first family after Valentine's Day:
We don't often get to spend time together as The Original Nuclear. In fact, ever since I started bringing my beloved around, I'd say this happens by fluke about once every two years. There is something wonderful about being with my Original Family as an adult. It transports me back to the days of grilled cheese and couch forts, a snuggly, loved time when I didn't have a mortgage and responsibilities. When I wasn't yet a mother or a wife. When my parents spent a great deal of their time meeting my physical and emotional needs -- and they did a great job.
There's more, of course. But you get the idea. And Rita's mom left the first comment on her post:
Little tears of happiness are flowing. That was so squishy sweet, daughter. Pa and I love you dearly.
Rita and I have it pretty good, what with being able to reach out to our reading parents with a bit of bloggy love and know they'll be touched and pleased.
Not everyone is so fortunate, of course. I tend to forget that many of my favorite blogging moms haven't shared their blogs with their extended families, for whatever reasons. But oh how did that point become clear to me (as my heart sympathetically jumped into my throat) when I read Christina's recent post over at A Mommy Story:
Lesson of the day: Never let your family know about your blog.
Trust me on this one. No matter how much you think they can handle it, no matter how much they say they understand that it's your inner feelings, no matter how much they beg to know about what you write and say the understand that a blog is your personal truth - not necessarily the factual truth - and that things you say don't necessarily represent the whole picture.
Avoid it.
That is all.
(Yes, I've been dooced in a family way. Just shoot me.)
I'm not sure I even want to know what's involved in a "family doocing." Hopefully Christina will be able to work it out and make peace with her family.
And then, of course, there are situations where relationships are irreparably broken, and even in reading about it you can hardly believe it. Anyone who's been reading Niihaus lately has been able to follow the unbelievable story of Lisa's estrangement from her mother.
First she blogged The Pain That Is My Own Mother, an entry comprised almost entirely of her mother's email to her after Lisa attempted to reach out to her. Her mother has plenty to say:
You say that you have found a good place to be mentally
