May 18th, 2010 by mothershipster
This is not a mommy blog.
Before I had children, I was a well informed writer who researched evolutionary psychology, behavioral endocrinology, urban planning and more. Becoming a mother didn’t lessen my identity; it added to it. I cannot be reduced to just being a “mommy” any more than I am just a wife, business owner, sister or teacher. The rise of the mommy blogosphere reflects the simultaneous rise of of navel gazing and conspicuous consumption and it does not serve us well. Is this what we want our generation to be remembered for? I think we can do better. There will be no cheery sounding blurbs here about a new product I was sent in order to “review” it. One can link the increase of mommy blogs directly to the accumulation of useless STUFF new parents feel compelled to buy. Don’t do it. Less is more.
This is not a mommy blog.
There is no internet “community.” That is an oxymoron created by other morons. Staying at home and surfing the net will never equal real face to face time, and is quite isolating. I don’t care how it’s advertised or portrayed in the media; time will show that as our internet use increases, our ability to socialize and make sense of the world decreases. With all of our talk of community, we rarely practice it. Irrational fears haunt suburbanites who won’t let their kids walk to school; yet if we had community, we would know that block is safe. We would trust our neighbors. We would knowthem.http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/13/fashion/13kids.html That is what I’m trying to create with the moms groups. A community of women who come together and organically grow and form their own friendships long after they leave BOING BOING. As parents we must look ahead. And that means literally looking ahead when you’re walking rather than texting as you push a stroller. Open your eyes. Your children’s eyes are wide open. Babies require face-to-face interaction to learn, what are you teaching them?
This is not a mommy blog.
I am not the first woman to give birth. Every moment, everywhere, there is a child being born. The self centered focus of the mommy blogosphere wants you to believe that they are all experts in child rearing, education, language skills, neural development, etc. Yet these are the same idiots who force fed you Baby Einstein and told you it would make your baby smarter.http://www.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,1650352,00.html I never carried those ridiculous videos, and had mixed feelings when research vindicated what I had known all along; they do more harm than good.
This is not a mommy blog. I am a mommy.
Mommy bloggers are blind to the larger disservice done by the separating,competing and merchandising of all things related to child rearing; from pre-school tutors to swagga coaches. We are raising our children together. They will be our future leaders, artists, soldiers, politicians, visionaries; they will have to work together. Seeing a baby with an iPhone makes me sad. They are already narrowing their focus. The world is big. It is big enough for all of us, neither better or worse than the next mother. We are in this together. Let’s start acting like it.
