So why do YOU blog?

A friend recently posted on her blog a question...Why do you blog? It seems simple, really. Unless, of course, you don't know. I mean, I never really stopped to think about why I blog. If asked why I began to blog, I would probably say that I have always loved writing and have found myself without a venue these past few years, so creating a blog seemed to fill that need.
BUT.
But then, I realized it wasn't really as simple as that. I quickly realized that's not the reason I am blogging NOW.
NOW, I seem to find myself the subject of writer's block more often than not because I quickly realized many of the things I wanted to say don't really fit the goal of this blog. Maybe I need a few blogs? I don't know. What I do know though is that I blog on this blog now for one reason...

To leave a legacy.

Funny that we are studying 2 Timothy in church, and one of Paul's main goals in that book is to leave a legacy in the form of Timothy. My aspirations are much less lofty.
I want to preserve our lives as they are now...the good, the bad, and the ugly. And some of it really is ugly. But some of it is good too, and I want my kids to be able to look back at it and remember the things they were involved in, and learn more about ME and their daddy by the things I write about. I mean, I'd LOVE to have known my mother, or my grandmother, or my great-grandmother on a more intimate level. To have really had a glimpse into their day to day life. Their hopes. Their fears. Their dreams. And even their failures. Of course, I know my mom, and I even knew her when she was my age now...but I knew her as a 10 year old then, not as the adult, as the mother I am now. Did she struggle with the things I struggle with? Did she worry about me or my siblings and the way we would turn out? What did SHE think I would be when I grew up? What are those little tidbits that I LIVED through, but have forgotten. Of course, in my life some of those things were far less than pleasant. Having an alcoholic as a father probably means that some of my childhood amnesia is a blessing, but I would LOVE to have known all those little things.
And that's, I think, why I blog. To leave a legacy for my children, and to help me remember someday in my "old age". Of course, I struggle with discretion. How much information is too much? How do I blog about what is really happening without crossing a line and betraying my children or somehow maligning them. But still, I think the benefits outweigh the risks...assuming the internet is here to stay, since I can't afford to get this thing published, LOL.
So....why do you blog?
obm

Comments

Cheryl said…
good question! all those thing but sometimes I think to help ME remember...I'm the one with the fading brain cells! I'm enjoying the comradery too. It's like a scrapbook on-line and what good is a scrapbook if you don't share it?
Julie said…
Very insightful! I also struggle with how much to include. On the one hand I want to include our "bad and ugly" days because I want others to see the real us. Many people get discouraged reading blogs because we tend to put our best things in it. At the same time I'd never want my kids to be hurt because I put one of their secrets on my blog.
ann marie said…
I just came across your blog by way of another. I am fairly new to it, just a week in actually, and I too started it because I enjoy writing. I am finding that I am writing more about me and my life and memories than about the kids. One day, my daughter asked me to read what I was writing and so I did. She smiled the whole time and when I was through she said "I never knew that about you mommy." I guess maybe that's why I'm doing it. Whatever the reason, I'm enjoying it, although I have been spending waaaaaaaay too much time reading other people's stuff.
crispy said…
I am always looking for the appropriate things to blog. The fine line between sharing and unloading. Between being vague and TMI.

Again, I do it to connect. I think it has helped me form deeper friendships quickly.
Tiffany said…
I started blogging as a way of sharing our lives and pictures with family and friends who don't live close. It's a lot easier than sending 10 e-mails. I have found though that I love just connecting with people. Sharing my life and hearing about theirs. I would love for it to hang out there in the internet world so my kids can read it someday.
Emily said…
I started my blog because I a lot of notebooks that were intended to be journals where I would record stories about our family, especially the funny and interesting things my children say. Each of those journals has about 3 pages of writing. Writing does not come easily for me. I decided that blogging was a least worth a try (because it was free). So far it is working. I don't write so much about the bad days just because I have a hard enough time writing about the good stuff. However, I hope that what I say is real enough that readers realize that I am not a perfect person and our family is not perfect. Also, as Julie said, I don't want my kids to be hurt by anything that I write.

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