Writers Work Shop: Bloggy blog blog

I’ve been reading lots of great entries from bloggers doing the SITS Girls Back to Blogging Challenge.  I’m not participating in the challenge because I feel weird getting “back to blogging” when I’ve only been at it for 5 months. However, when Mama Kat included the prompt “Write about what blogging means to you. Why do you blog? What purpose does it serve you and how have you benefited from sharing a piece of yourself online this way?” for her Writer’s Workshop, I jumped at the chance to answer the question. 

I’ve been thinking a lot about why I blog.  Why do I share a piece of my life on the internet?  Why do I subject myself to possible scrutiny from friends, family and strangers?  Why do I choose to write my blog, participate in various social media to promote it and spend time reading other blogs instead of doing important tasks like laundry or yard work?

I blog because I am an attention whore.

Ok, just kidding

 I blog to maintain Laura.  I blog to keep from falling down the rabbit hole where I become nothing more then “Max’s mom”. Even if I fall under the category of “Mommy Blogger” blogging helps me stay connected to who I am beyond my role of “Mother”. Blogging keeps me rooted and helps me process all these new emotions and situations that come with motherhood. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve started to write a blog about an issue or problem and by the time I’ve finished writing I have a whole new perspective on the situation. Blogging forces me to look at my experiences in a different light so I can find a way to turn them into readable words.

I have a journalism degree that has collected dust since the day I walked across that stage 7 (gulp!) years ago. Blogging helps me hone my writing skill.  I love to write but I’ve let those skills I learned in college sit dormant for too long.  Blogging presents a unique challenge in which I write about my experiences but yet make it relatable to complete strangers. It’s not a journal where I can spill my guts without back story. I don’t maintain anonymity on this blog so I have the challenge of writing on subjects that won’t get me fired from work or in trouble with family/friends.  I love that I now have a reason to write almost every day. 

Fellow bloggers also get me to blog. You’re words and stories inspire me on dull days and comfort me on tough days.  I love getting know people I might never get the opportunity to meet in person and I love to read about the different life experiences of mothers, cooks, travelers, organizers, artists, students and so much more.

Finally, I blog for Max.  I blog so one day he can have a record of what his life was like before he could remember it.  I blog so he can also see that his mom is also a person with aspirations, quirks, likes and dislikes.  That I am more than just the person that makes him food, gives him money and yells at him when he becomes a rotten teenager.  But most importantly, I hope this blog can one day show him how much I truly love him.