When I launched this blog 17 months ago, my first post was entitled “How Starting a Blog is Like Having Twins.”
Now, 170 posts later, I feel like I’ve been living in Blogville for a while. In fact, because the world of blogging is relatively new compared to when Neanderthals grunted their way around, I think we should count blog years like dog years: multiply by seven. A blog that is two years old, then, is really like a 14-year-old: still growing, a bit hormonal, but ultimately coming into her own identity.
In fact, I’m going to stick by my original post and reassert that there are a lot of ways blogging resembles parenting. Here are 5 of them:
1. Both blogging and parenting require attention for healthy growth
I’m not one of those mothers who can spend 60 minutes playing with her kids on the floor. I may have adult onset ADD, but I am able to play hard in spurts. This means getting on the floor for a 10-minute wrestle, playing Mommy Zombie for 5 minutes, or reading a chapter from a Roald Dahl story.
I also tend to work in short sporadic bursts on my blog. I reply to comments en masse, I time myself when I write a post, and I cluster tweet.
2. Both blogging and parenting require learning a new language
There’s a vernacular to parenting I didn’t expect: feed, mastitis, fontanelle, time out, mommy juice, play dates.
There’s also a language specific to blogging: SEO, blogroll, template, widget, trackback, ping, vlogs.
I’m thinking we may need to cross-pollinate some of the parenting terms with the blogging ones. For example, because I didn’t feed my blog, the fontanelle is even softer. Or, my child needs more widgets to maximize his template.
3. Both blogging and parenting result in less sleep
If you want to get lots of sleep, don’t have children or start a blog. Most of the bloggers I know get way less sleep than me, and I don’t think my 7 hours are enough. And Murphy’s Law rules: the later I stay up writing, the earlier my daughter wakes me up. Spot the cranky blogger and the crankier mother.
4. Both blogging and parenting can solicit unwelcome comments
I’m pretty lucky on the blog front: I tend not to get nasty comments, at least not said to me directly. Maybe it’s because I’m not passionate about a specific style of parenting; I’m just passionate about finding what’s funny. On the parenting side, though, I’ve heard many stupid remarks. I’ve also received unsolicited comments from my kids, like when Vivian told me via a note on the front door, “I have no mommy.”
5. Both blogging and parenting help me appreciate the moment
There are two things that stop time for me: one is playing on the floor with my kids; the other is writing. It is during these moments when I find eternity in the tick of a clock.
Even when I’m yawning.
You are a genius. And I mean that on three levels, one of which might even be too secret for you to figure out.
Ways blogging and parenting are similar?
*Children and blogs both have tags sticking out with words written on them.
*Kids and blog posts can both be sticky.
*Lots of incoherent ramblings all around.
I’ll stop. I think. My brain won’t but my fingers will.
I can’t think on three levels, but I’ll take the compliment, thank you very much.
Clever additions: tags sticking out. Love it.
I can go mama bear over my child and my blog. I work hard to nurture both and I don’t take kindly to anyone attacking them. This, of course, can hinder me from seeing the big picture sometimes (i.e. My kid can be a brat sometimes. or that post sucked), but that’s what mamas do. We love unconditionally.
Yes, we do. I love the analogy: protective. It works for me too.
Funny blog post! Love the dog years thing. Publishing operates on dog years as well, you send out a submission and in a couple of dog years you get a reply!
Jan, you are so right: publishing does operate on dog years. Not that I’d know. 😉
My blog -hopefully- has gotten better since I started. My mothering skills have come a long way too- thank goodness the Offspring don’t know any different!
Yes: improvement. Reminds me of teaching, too. I feel like I owe all those students I taught in my first 3 years an apology.
Daddy Zombie tends to be more of a c0ndition than a game around here.
Got me laughing again, Chase. Is there a cure for the condition? You know there’s a post in that, right? All yours.
Blogging is like parenting in that neither my children or my blog clean up after themselves. Wait, that makes no sense. Bear with me. It’s early.
I love it when analogies fail (happens to me all the time). Are you still buying egg whites by the tonne?
Re: egg whites. Yes, I still am. I’m hooked on them now. They love me at Costco.
I’m going to incorporate the word “fontanelle” into more conversations, in person and online.
It wholeheartedly belongs in Tamara’s Words That Sound Dirty But Aren’t Category.
A soft spot could mean so many things.
Thanks for linking to another SearchBombShell-y post.
Oh, it does sound dirty! I like your style, ma’am.
I sure hope, if I ever get the opportunity, I give my children more care and feeding than I manage on the blog. 😉
Watch what you wish for.
people will judge your blog and your parenting in a snapshot. First impressions can make or break it.
You never know when a new visitor is going to come to your blog when you’ve just written about farting, or, when the kids will be meeting the new pastor and decide to give their best impression of demon possession.
Kristen, I am laughing. That’s true. And if you blog about parenting, two judgments can be made at once. I’m hooped.
Love this. I also love that you have parent ADD. I told my wife before we had kids that I am afraid I have something like that. It’s good to see that it is ok.
Thanks. I should have likely said I have kid-onset ADD. That would have been more accurate.
Hilariously true!!!
Sadly, I cannot think of a thing to add, because vaccumning up all the baby powder that DS spritzed all over his room has made my brain fuzzy and my eyes burn.
Hmmm…kinda like when a blog post blows up in my face…
Analogy rescued!
The term cluster tweet is cracking me up!!!!
Nothing like combining breastfeeding with Twitter.
Too funny. I’ve learned blogging and parenting both require patience. I like to think, over time, you get better at both. We get more experienced, right?
My blog is still in the infant stage… which means probably mostly SH…
But hey, if I nurture and care for the blog, like my kids, hopefully it will come into its own.
It definitely will come into its own. I think that’s one of the most fun things about blogging: things change (like parenting). I guess the challenge is to adapt. Something I’ll likely have to do with my blog when my kids get a bit older.
I’m just glad my children aren’t keeping stats.
Good point. I hope mine aren’t either.
Love this! I never thought of it this way!!
Hilarious.
If there’s a weird way to think, I got it covered.
That’s it! I need to find an economics widget to put in my high school senior. Then I can put a graduation on my blog.
Brilliant. Do our blogs ever graduate?
Fun post, Leanne!
I think I’m probably a better mother because I blog…I’m happier, so I’m not as cranky with my teens as I used to be!
I definitely feel the time crunch though…I had 25 new posts waiting to be read in my e-mail box this morning…I’m fitting them in between laundry loads!
Wendy
That’s a good point, Wendy. I think I’m a better mom too because of carving out a space for me. Wow on 25 new posts to read – How many blogs do you subscribe to?
I follow about 50 or so…a lot of them are fairly prolific!
Wendy
This great. I’m such a baby blogger. Still learning the language. I feel dazed and confused like a new parent. I love how you cross-pollinated the two.
And although all the comments (other than spam) I’ve received have been fine, I did get weird stalker-ish follower after I was FP’d. He creeped me out enough it kept me awake one night. He has since unsubscribed (PARTY!!) and I can now rest peacefully. Guess my blog wasn’t his flavor.
A stalker? Yikes. Glad he unsubscribed. I can send the voices in my head to take care of him if you like. 😉
Okay. Some random ADD keyboard action means I accidentally clicked “like this post” on my own blog.
I have taken narcissism to a new level.
That’s ok, I’ve subscribed to my blog three times.
Seriously! The question is why become a mom AND blog. It’s just plain silly! I’m also cluster tweeter. One coffee down the hatch, 10 tweets in a row, and … we’re done… ! Why do we do this to ourselves !??!
Great post and I agree with the blog years!
Maybe we become a mom and blog because we can have some control over the latter. I think cluster tweeting is more efficient. Not sure how much it annoys my tweeps, though.
All good points!
Also, no matter how hard you work at it, you still have the nagging feeling that you SHOULD be able to do better.
Brilliant point. Yes, both blogging and parenting involve guilt, layers of it.
Do you think we can get the blog to baby sit the children? That would be an accomplishment, me thinks 😀
Thank you for an enjoyable post
You’re welcome, Irene. Maybe we should start a new blog, called The Babysitter. Or turn on the TV.
Great creative ability, a superior parent AND beauty – you truly have it all!
Favourite compliment of the day goes to you. 🙂
Thx.
Parenting and blogging can happen with or without preparation. You have to think fast. You may need to respond to an event or situation ASAP. You have to make changes. You may be ready to go or submit. Something happens; and you have to make an adjustment accordingly. You have to be patient. You may have a sense of urgency; but you need to be patient to ensure you handle the circumstances correctly. You have to develop as a parent. You have to develop as a blogger. You have to nurture as a parent. You have to nurture as a blogger. Your baby goes through growth spurts; so does your blog. Parenting and blogging is developmental and the learning never stops.