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[mommydama]

I'm finding it hard to write about anything lately. My children's privacy has become very important. Recently, Zoe saw her name on the screen and asked me not to write about her. I explained that this was my journal, like her diaries. She asked if anyone was going to read it. I said yes. She got upset. So...no more writing about my kids.

Comments

[aelf]

I happened upon a blog once by a guy who would write about his children until they were a certain age, like 5, and were more their own person than just his kid. I think that makes lots of sense. Of course, what's it say about me that even having read that, I write about my 7 year old.

Sometimes I wonder if I have anything to say that's not mothering or my-child related. I'm sure I do, it's just not at the top of my "thinking about things" list! :)

You can let your Zoe know that her concerns (and your sharing of them) have prompted me to ask my Zoe what she thinks about my writing about her on my LJ. Thank you for bringing it up.

[mommydama]

It is VERY hard for me to write without mentioning what my children would probably consider private things about them. I've tried for about 10 days now. So...yeah. I may post sporadically about religious issues, homeschooling finds and our curriculum, etc. But my marriage and kids are kinda off limits now which means that...yeah...pretty much my whole life. Heh.

[sistersunshine]

I sure hope you continue to write privately about your girls! I love having a written account of different things. I feel like I have a good memory but sometimes I read my archives and can't believe the little cute/funny things I had forgotten! :)

[mommydama]

I've been doing a lot of private writing in the last week or so. That is actually what prompted me to make this post. I have a lot of family members reading my public entries too, so I wanted to make sure they knew why I suddenly quit giving updates.

[ariellejuliana]

Good for you for respecting their privacy! I always appreciated that my favorite blogger, Elizabeth Foss, who writes mostly about her family, has her kids read her posts before she publishes them, and they can veto anything. I know I'll have to figure out how to manage that eventually too. I can't stand "fake names" for kids on blogs, so that's not a solution :)

I hope we still hear from you regardless!

[mommydama]

Zoe wouldn'tfeel she could. It was a "spontaneous utterance" when she did say something and when she began to understand I was kind of sad and disappointed about it, she tried to back pedal. She is that kinda kid. Wants to please, hates to make someone unhappy at all...so I'm going with the first reaction. And when I put myself in her shoes...I get it. It makes complete sense.

[mommydama]

And I just realized this is exactly the kind of thing I'm not supposed to write. Sheesh.

[altarflame]

This is interesting. I suppose I am lucky in that it's never occured to any of my kids to be bothered by my blogging. They all see pictures and text about themselves on screen all the time and have even been with me when I've gotten recognized by strangers, but I think it seems very remote and nothing like real life to them...because they do not want me telling stories about them to neighbors or PATH parents AT ALL. I guess this could be either a delusion about reality (like what's on the computer isn't real?) or how I feel about this sort of thing (it honestly couldn't bother me less for any stranger to know any detail about my life, I'm MUCH more reserved with, say, my in-laws or even on facebook I would never mention anything even remotely sexual or about money because that's aunts, cousins and Dance Empire people...I sort of feel like if fb people stumble onto my blog they can read at their own peril because that's my personal domain and not me purposely sharing soundbytes on cousins, aunt and Dance Empire peoples' streams...plus

[mommydama]

The girls have actually made videos they've asked me to post and begged me to put up pictures of such and such an event or whatever. It isn't that they don't kind of like having an online presence and sharing their lives with family and friends. When I post pics on FB they want to run in and see the comments. But Maria has asked on numerous occasions "Can just ANYONE see this? Or just family and your friends?" If I say that anyone can see it, she has asked me to take down certain pictures. I always honor those requests because I know how it feels to have what I consider "bad" picture of me "out there". I hate it. I'm just trying to do what I would want..Golden Rule again

[altarflame]

I am really contemplating what sort of thing would make me stop talking about my kids online, now. I mean there is a picture I took of Aaron sucking his thumb asleep that he swore me to secrecy over, and it's never went up. Or the secret diary page of Ananda's that I found and told you about, even though that was sort of momentous for me. I don't know

[mommydama]

There is a whole other side to this issue for me. When I find blogs by parents (men or women) that hardly ever mention their children, it totally freaks me out. I assume, wrongly of course, but it is a knee jerk kind of emotional reaction, that they are very absentee, uninvolved kind of parents and immediately begin not to take them very seriously. I am going to have to really work on that attitude if this is the direction I will head. I'd almost rather not blog at all then have family, especially, think my kids do not occupy a central place in my life and love.

I'm thinking reviews of homeschooling stuff, curriculum discussions, music and art and religious discussions are the way to go here, but I find it SO HARD not to talk about my kids! It is just ridiculous!

[erikaerin]

This is why I have locked entries and only people that I trust on my friends list (and a lot of them I've met in person) can read them. :)