I have no edge

I fully admit it; I'm not edgy. For a long time, I wanted to be the cool chick who listened to killer music and wore awesome clothes and had kickass stories about my Saturday night. Finally, I resigned myself to the fact that no matter what I wear or how much I had to drink on the weekend, I would still rather have my nose stuck in a book. I'm dorky and like comic books and Star Wars. And Star Trek. I think learning new Klingon words and phrases is cool. I like to have debates about who's cooler, Eddie Vedder or Bono. I also say cool a lot, a perfect example of how not-cool I most likely am.

And I'm a mom. That doesn't mean that I am then, by default, not edgy, but I see myself as a non-edgy mom, even with all the tattoos. Mommyhood has rounded off any angles, and I'm OK with that.

This morning, as I was taking my shower, I started thinking about my blog. And blogs in general. And how I've read heaps of stuff lately about mommy blogging. Usually, this stuff is preceded by a gag sound or a bellow of "Oh, God, Mommy Bloggers." Like we're a plague or something. I'll admit it irks me a bit that moms who blog seem to have gotten a bad rep out here in the blogosphere. Oh, they're so boring. Oh, all they talk about is their kid. Oh, they're so lame.

Well, I've got news for the mommy-blog-bashers. Mom blogs, just like teenaged-angst blogs or cool-single-chick blogs or perpetually-unemployed-beer-guzzling-idiots blogs all have an audience. What's the mommy blog audience? Why... other moms. And yeah, there's a lot of us out there. A lot.

I enjoy reading about other people's kids. Maybe I'm weird. Since becoming a mom, I've been able to connect with other women more easily. It's true. I certainly don't get ALL moms, but there are a few I've just clicked with. That's new for me. I have a few close girlfriends, but for the most part, I get along better with men. I think it's because of the way my brain works.

A lot of moms out there write their blogs for themselves to chronicle their kids lives and to share with family and friends that don't live nearby and therefore don't get to see what's going on from a day-to-day basis. It's a way to share the milestones and funny stories, and it's a way to record all those things you don't want to forget.

Me? I write simply because I like to write. I write about Ellie, about myself, my marriage, my friends, pretty much everything. I've been told I'm entertaining and can write well. Both are huge compliments.

I don't write to make money or get more readers. I know there are a few mommy blogs out there with that intention, and while I don't read them, to each is own. Some say they're using their kids for profit, and well, that may be true. I'm not a fan of that, so I can't really say too much more on the subject. The only thing that really concerns me is putting your kid out there, I mean really out there. Too much info can be a bad thing. Each mom has to decide from the get-go how much is too much. Sometimes they cross the lines they made for themselves to make a mighty buck. That sucks. I don't condone that. 'Nuff said.

Regardless of why bloggers blog, the end result is this: you have something to say, and there is an audience who wants to read it. I don't understand the animosity. Why is being a mommy blogger so bad?

That's my two bits for today.