yeah, uhh, about that article...

Mommy (and me): A generation of new parents are telling tales from the crib in blogs that revel in self-absorption.

[clears throat]

self-absorption?!?! umm, excuse me, but how is it that parents who blog just happen to get saddled with the label “self-absorbed,” when there are a billion fucking blogs out there written by single folk (more than those written by parents, i'd wager) about their rad night out getting wasted with their buddies and how cool their taste in music is, you fucking poseur? seriously, you're calling ME self-absorbed? writing on this blog is -- i shit you all not -- usually the only time i have on an average day to myself. it is quite often the ONLY thing i do each day that doesn't involve taking care of someone else -- my daughter, my husband, my fucking pets -- or doing things necessary to the health and happiness of our family (cleaning, laundry, shopping, blah blah blah). and so, yes, i blog for that reason, among others -- so that i might have a paltry smidgen of space and time each day that is my own, because otherwise I WOULD FUCKING LOSE MY MIND. does that make me self-absorbed? really? oh, i'm sorry New York Times (respectfully capped), you're right -- as a mother i should NEVER think of myself, and should spend every millisecond of each waking moment with body and mind fully and unflinchingly targeted at my child. that's what good mothers do, right? become wholly consumed by their children and diminish themselves in the name of self-sacrifice? of course. how could i have been so stupid?

[head explodes]

Comments

[brian]

I see your point, but why attack the single people who need everyone to know just how wasted they got last night? It's the cat people we should be collectively belittling.
No. The world does not need to see a new picture of your cat every day. No, not even a new picture of a new cat everyday. That even if you write a cutesy caption.
What the hell is this stuff? Why? Really. Why?
http://cat.textamerica.com/
http://www.angelfire.com/folk/morgan/catblog/

[hez]

you go, girl.

[MB]

Hell yes. Seems to me that blogging about another person entirely would make the "self-absorption" description null and void, but I guess I'm not the NYT, so what do I know?

[sweetney]

brian, let me second your vote against the cat bloggers. they are clearly quite wiggity wiggity whack.

THAT, my friend, is what happens to people who SHOULD'VE had kids, but instead displace that energy and direct it at the wrong mammal.

[shiver]

[mike wolf]

so in college I lived w/ a guy, who on a weekly basis I thought was going to kill himself, and he had this theory that being a prent was the most selfish / self absorbed thing you could do ... his theory being your imposing yourself through another etc etc etc and oh yeah the ecological effects of more humans... this really doesnt relate to this article but its just as off the point...

what you said is 100% on ... if anything I also write stuff down so its remembered ... besides is the web built for this me culture (see boards, forums , myspace, freindster, live journal bah)

[sweetney]

webmaster mama: yep, well, this is why at least 1/2 the content here has *absolutely nothing to do with being a mother*. werd.