austin-moms-blog-love-more-judge-less

In the world of Mom Blogging, I’m still fairly green. I’ve been reading mom blogs and feverishly commenting on them for around four years, but writing for one is still a whole new experience for me. In the early days, I had a personal blog that I wrote just to keep myself sane and chronicle all the weirdness that came with becoming a mother, but it was nothing more than a few people reading. Writing for a blog like Austin Moms Blog has been an experience I can barely begin to describe.

One of the amazing things that I never anticipated was how writing for a group like Austin Moms Blog has changed me. I feel much more empowered now that I have my “army” backing me up. I also have found myself fighting for my fellow bloggers, because that’s what we do. We stand up for one another. I have shared my feelings on topics that I have never shared with another soul before. I feel stronger and more confident in my abilities as both a writer and a mother, and I am forever grateful for that. I’ve become a much more open person, and don’t hold back nearly as much as I used to. I no longer shy away from people when they ask about my life or the details of how I came to be a single mom. My fiancé proposed to me during my Takeover Tuesday on the Blog’s Instagram, for goodness sake! I’ve shared some of my most private moments and thoughts with Austin Moms Blog’s readers, and it has been exactly what I needed to be a better person. And I love it.

I have also learned how to listen a lot better than before. Austin Moms Blog consists of 29 very, very different mom bloggers. We have moms who have been married forever, moms who have been parenting alone from the beginning, and moms who are recently divorced. Our team consists of breastfeeding crusaders, bottle feeding champions, and co-sleeping heroes. A handful of us accidentally stumbled our way into motherhood, while others tried for years and underwent every procedure under the sun in order to conceive their miracle babies. We have the “free range” moms and the Tiger Moms. Our group is extremely diverse, and we have every type of personality and sense of humor you could ever imagine. And I love that, too.

The reason I love our diversity and our undying dedication for sharing the nitty-gritty details with our readers is because I know that our readers dig it. We start conversations that would not have started otherwise. I also like to think we {every once in awhile} might change a few minds. There have been articles that my colleagues have written that have initially caused me to just roll my eyes. Then I’ll read the article again. Then I’ll remember that a real woman wrote it. A woman that I know and respect. A woman who has probably rolled her eyes at me more times than I care to consider. Maybe I don’t agree with her opinion. Maybe it struck a chord with me. But isn’t that what makes us so awesome as women and moms? We have our own opinions and our own history that has helped us form those opinions. No other person has lived my life, so no other person can truly understand everything that has caused me to become the person I am today. For every article that you take offense to, there are at least three other writers for our blog who are on your side. The wonderful part is that we share all sides of all controversies. At Austin Moms Blog, we do not preach one way of parenting, or have only one opinion on a topic. What we do preach and practice, however, is respect for all of the moms out there who have the same or differing views from us.

It has become increasingly difficult to read some of the comments on blogs that my friends and blogging “family” have written. Not because I think other moms don’t have the right to voice their opposing opinions, but because other moms seem to be so offended by some topics that really seem very benign. I am here to tell you that none of our writers have ever written a single word with the intention of belittling or maligning another mom for their beliefs or parenting philosophy. To disagree with a writer’s ideas is one thing, but to become offended and personally attack them is a whole other. We’re all part of the same club here, regardless of whether you’re a writer or a reader. Many times the comments are very hypocritical: moms suggesting that the writer not judge other moms for their lifestyle, while in the same comment berating her for thinking the way she does. You’re right, Mama! We shouldn’t judge one another for our personal beliefs or philosophies. That goes for the writers and for the readers.

I realize we are all going to sometimes read or write an article that doesn’t quite sit right with a specific person or group of people. In those instances, of course comments from readers are welcome. I guarantee you, though, that the moms who are so matter-of-fact about nodding their heads and yelling “AMEN!” will more than likely be the ones shaking their heads in disgust tomorrow when we post another article. That’s motherhood, and more specifically, that’s motherhood in a large community such as ours. Please keep in mind that these are real women writing these articles. They are not writing them to upset you, or single you out, or call you a bad mom. They are writing them because these are subjects that really get us talking. The least we can all do is talk respectfully.

After all, every last one of us is doing the absolute best we can as mothers, as writers, as readers, and as advocates for one another. Let’s stop the hate, and stop the shaming. Instead, let’s celebrate our diversity, and show our children how to handle differing views with grace and humility.

4THBLVDKICKS

1 COMMENT

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here