I have been blogging for about 10 months.
Over the course of these 10 months, I have thoroughly enjoyed sharing my life, my children and my stories with many readers.
I have also enjoyed getting to know many wonderful women/moms through my blog.
I have also .... been very fortunate during this time ... to not have received very many negative comments on my posts. I've received a few - but, not many at all.
I did receive one VERY NEGATIVE comment yesterday (Wednesday 6/18/08).
Now ... I would like to just let this comment go and not say anything, but this comment - this person - gives me the opportunity to set a few things straight.
I was a bit angry about this comment.
My anger was not about the honesty - I very much appreciate honesty from my readers.
My anger was not about the words - while some could have been chosen better - I am all about words!
My anger was that ... "This woman doesn't know me. She has no clue what she is talking about. She obviously has not read any of my other posts, or she would not feel free to say such things."
I was frustrated that someone would say something so "mean" based on one post. If she had TRULY read the over 300 posts I have written - I do not feel she could have said these things. This, therefore - made me mad!
I'm not going to try to defend myself in detail against this person's comments - I am only going to say ...
My stories are a mere GLIMPSE into my life - mere moments.
My stories - my blogging - is a way for me to document my children's lives - my life - my family's life and this is a blessing and a gift!
My stories are intended to offer others ... moments where they can laugh or cry - where they can witness or relate to another mother that does not always get everything right and is not ashamed to admit that. A place where they can go daily and find a good story and hopefully leave with a smile on their face.
My blog is a place for me to write my stories - a creative outlet - something I love doing and something that is mine and something that I deserve to indulge in if I care too. It's my blog and I use it to tell stories that I think people will enjoy.
My blog is a HAPPY place - I created it for that purpose - I intended it that way! It is not a place where people come to fight - to knit-pick - to ridicule anybody! It is a HAPPY PLACE! It is not a teaching blog. I am not here to tell anyone how to live their life or impose my opinions or beliefs on anyone. My blog is simply a place for me to tell my stories.
I write about the stuff I do wrong in mothering - a lot! I write about the mistakes I have made. I write about the things my kids say. I write about the things we do in our lives. I write about a lot of things .... and I do all of it with LOVE for my family.
I DO NOT write about all the things I do right in my life - not often anyway, and that is because ---- THAT STUFF IS NOT FUNNY!
It's all pretty simple.
I am proud of my blog.
I am proud of my stories.
I am proud of the type of mother I am and I believe my children would say the same.
I am not going to go on and on defending who I am and all I have done right - while I could do that - I could write a good, LONG list. I'm not going to.
I don't have to.
I know who I am.
I know why I blog.
I believe my stories are a gift, not only to my children and family ---- but to my readers.
I don't think this reader will ever come back to my site - as she stated she wouldn't. But ... if she were to want to come back ... she is always welcome here at On The Upside.
But, beware ...
I will not be changing the way I write ...
I will not be changing the way I parent ...
I will not be happy if you leave another "mean" comment ...
And ...
By the way ...
Alexis ate Captain Crunch for breakfast again this morning - it was 10:10 A.M. and I actually got my lazy butt up off the chair and went into the kitchen and got her bowl out of the cabinet and I even poured the cereal and splashed on the milk.
You are always welcome here ...
Everyone is welcome here ...
Anyone that enjoys a funny story or a touching story ...
Is welcome here at ...
On The Upside!
But ... keep your MEAN and UNINFORMED comments to yourself or I will DELETE it. As easy as it is for you to say MEAN and UNINFORMED things - it is just as easy to ERASE THEM!
I let you have your say this time. And, I will let others have their say - as long as the comments are not uninformed and mean. I don't do that to anyone else and I won't allow others to do it to me.
Here is the negative comment that was left yesterday:
"seriously, i empathize, but why don't you do something fun with your kids? i see you were nominated for best humor blog but i don't think this is funny.get off your butt and stop living your life on the internet. you have a small banner that says "vote for me" - why don't you stop worrying about the online popularity contest and give your kids a fun summer to remember? best parenting blog? no, it is not. you admit this stuff to make people laugh, but it just makes me sad. when your kids are out of the house you are going to wish you had spent less time blogging and more time with them."
"i'm just reading your comments on this. let's support each other in our "good enough mothering!"this is my first time here, i can't come back. it breaks my heart. good enough mothering? no.i'm not out there planning stuff for my kid for every second of the day, but this is ridiculous." June 18, 2008 8:52 AM
Now ... in true On The Upside fashion ... lets see if we can find an upside anywhere in this mess of words.
"seriously, i empathize, but why don't you do something fun with your kids?" --- I took them to that damn Kung Fu Movie the other night - does that count? DID YOU SEE THAT POST!? And ... I'm at the lake with my kids, as I type this post - need I say more.
"i see you were nominated for best humor blog but i don't think this is funny" ---- That's okay - this is not really my funniest post - I've written far funnier stories before - read one of those.
"get off your butt and stop living your life on the internet" ---- Would it really be possible for me to live my whole life on the internet and raise the 4 wonderful children that I have into the fine people they are becoming? I don't think so! And ... last time I looked - this is MY LIFE and I can live it anyway I see fit for me and for my family. Don't presume that just because I have a "busy" blog that I spend all my time on the internet either. What I do is none of anyone's business, but I assure you - it is interesting and fun and busy and productive and ... centered around 4 children and a husband and 5 pets and extended family and friends and 2 homes and a business.
"you have a small banner that says "vote for me" - why don't you stop worrying about the online popularity contest and give your kids a fun summer to remember?" ---- I'm not worried about these contests - but, I do want my blog to be popular. I love sharing my stories and I want as many readers as I can find. And, as for the summer ... I'm at the lake with my kids - need I say more!
" best parenting blog? no, it is not. " ---- I guess this is where we'd have to DEFINE this category. In some people's eyes - I guess I might be considered a darn good parent. In others - likely not. That's cool! That's why there are red cars and blue cars and yellow cars and silver cars ... so everyone can have what they want. Everyone is entitled to their opinion.
" you admit this stuff to make people laugh, but it just makes me sad. when your kids are out of the house you are going to wish you had spent less time blogging and more time with them." ---- I've spent the last 16 years ... with my children - nearly every single day! I spend plenty of time with my kids (All straight A, honor roll students, by the way; 2 are gifted, one is in Boy Scouts, 2 play basketball and softball, one is in gymnastics ...) - if I am not the one spending time with these kids then there is someone that looks an awful lot like me in my house doing that job. And ... my kids are going to find all of my stories to be a GIFT when they grow older. They are going to know how I really felt about them - what I was really thinking - how I heard so many of their words and listened to what they had to say. And ... YES ... I write this stuff to make people laugh. If they are laughing at my stories then I feel happy about that. I try very hard to make my stories humorous. Life is not always happy and if someone enjoys my blog and knows that they can come here daily to read a story that is likely going to make them laugh - then I think I am doing something very RIGHT!
"i'm just reading your comments on this. let's support each other in our "good enough mothering!"this is my first time here, i can't come back. it breaks my heart. good enough mothering? no.i'm not out there planning stuff for my kid for every second of the day, but this is ridiculous." ----- I am not the one that wrote that I was a "good enough mother". I think my title to this last post was, "The Loser-est Mom Ever". It's satire. I am not a loser as a mother - but ... I have my moments and I will have many more. If that is "Good enough mothering" - then that's what I am. It's SATIRE and it is a MERE GLIMPSE INTO MY LIFE - the other 96% you don't see and likely will never see.
I'm done now.
Keep an eye out for a "funny" post tomorrow. Back to business as usual.
Note: If you are so inclined to leave comments on my blog - feel free to be honest - but, BE NICE or I WILL DELETE YOUR COMMENT and ... I will probably write a post about it and talk about you the next day - because this is MY BLOG and I can do that! HA!
And ... PLEASE do not attack this person that left this negative comment - that is not my intent of this post!