Betsy, Contributor, Funky Mama Bird (@funkymamabird)
Two very well-known and widely-read bloggers with both older children and toddlers have recently made statements to the effect that they will not be publishing as much content about their older kids. Their reasons for this announcement varied, with one blogger saying she didn’t want to publicly “label” or “box” her children, and the other saying that her child was requesting more privacy. Both bloggers feel that their toddlers are still fair game, and have announced their intentions to continue blogging about them.
While there is no official Blogging Ethic, many bloggers feel that holding to a similar ethics code as journalists or A Bloggers Code of Ethics makes sense. This code of ethics only addresses children as such, “Show compassion for those who may be affected adversely by Weblog content. Use special sensitivity when dealing with children…”.
As a freelance journalist and writer, as well as a blogger I can’t help but wonder about where that line is. Is it when my child is old enough to understand my actions in blogging, or is it now when he is too young to understand?
My blog, like many personal blogs, is a place for me to record events in my life. Whether I choose to highlight every event, only a few events or to dramatize these events, I blog for myself. Unlike my other writing, I have no editor censoring me, holding me to AP style grammar and questioning if my blog is “on topic” enough.
Since my child is a part of my life, he is a part of my blog. I have publicly discussed his poop, his wheat allergies and his addiction to his sleep sacks. But there are things I haven’t discussed; things that I feel are no one’s business but ours. And I wonder if I’ve drawn the line too vaguely, if by censoring some things and not others I’m doing him a disservice, either by not presenting the whole picture or by presenting any of these things at all.
Like all other parenting decisions that I make, I try to make the ones that I feel most benefit both of us. I need to care for and protect my child, but as the saying goes, “If Mama ain’t happy, ain’t nobody happy.” So I’m conflicted; at times I feel I’ve struck that happy medium between writing for myself, writing uncensored and documenting my life and protecting my child, at other times I wonder if I veer too far in one direction or another.
Should we, as so-called Mommy Bloggers, be forging our own code of ethics? Or is up to us as individuals to strike that balance for ourselves and our families? I’m interested in hearing your thoughts.

To start off the new school year, we have a fabulous & fashionable giveaway from annabear studio!

And here’s a closer view!

To tell you a little more about Leslie, the mom blogger who makes these beautiful items…

“I am just like you, a mom.  My daughter, Anna, just celebrated her second birthday this June  and she truly has changed my life for the better.  She is inspiring me to use my creative energy to craft baby goods and gifts.  I call her the CEO of my new venture -annabear studio.

About 4 years ago, as my close friends began having babies, I was searching for the perfect baby shower gift.  I wanted something unique and meaningful, something that would stand out in the sea of gifts and before I knew it annabear studio was born.  I made my first baby blanket.  The feeling I felt from giving this gift was overwhelming and  motivated me to make another blanket. Lucky for me my friends were fertile and the baby showers came one after another.  I have made about 15 custom blankets over the past 4 years and with each one, I become less dependent on my mom and have started to develop my own style, the annabear signature.

Now as those babies grow up, I am once again searching for the perfect birthday party gifts- ones that will last more than a minute and won’t go unnoticed.  That is what inspired me to make custom memory games and reusable totes.  The memory games are made on wooden squares and customized to the child’s or parents’ interest and then stored in a little fabric satchel with a drawstring tie.  The reusable bags are great when heading poolside or the overnight trip to Grandma’s.”

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Entries for our annabear studio giveaway include:

- Follow Our Mommyhood (blog) in some way, and tell us how you do.

-Follow Our Mommyhood on Twitter, and leave us your Twitter handle.

-Follow annabear_studio on Twitter, and tell us you do.

-Tweet about this giveaway using @annabear_studio or @OurMommyhood in your tweet.

*This giveaway will remain open until Saturday, September 11th at 5 pm EST.

**This giveaway is open to US residents only.

***If your email address is not linked, please leave it in a comment for us to contact you if you win.

by Julia, Editor, Work, Wife, Mom… Life! (@julialadewski)

As school rolls back into session and moms are busy running around packing backpacks and school lunches, driving one kid to soccer and the other to football, and trying to squeeze dinner in there somewhere, it’s hard to find a minute to breathe.

{Deep breath in……… Out.}

Ok, you got one breath in.  And in case you missed some of last week’s posts, here’s what you missed.

*Brook’s best pic for a eco-friendly, modern highchair for small spaces – the Bloom Nano Highchair. I had never seen it before and I think the fact that it’s so “green” is really cool.

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*Kristi (one of our guest writer’s for this month) had a hilarious take on “How To Survive Marriage.”  Her tips just might come in handy now that football season is starting!

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*I loved reading this post from Shandal and the comments about baby ear piercing.  I had my daughter’s ears pierced at 3 months old (my mom had mine done young too) and I think it’s just adorable. But many moms say it’s a daughter’s choice or “right of passage” as they enter the teen years… what do you say? Hot topic!!

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*The Activity Mom, another guest for us, had some incredibly fun and easy ideas for building a stash of kids’ activities. The Build A ____ Game looked fun (what kid doesn’t love rolling dice?) and the Build-A-Letter Puzzle looks like something my 3 year could get into! Awesome ideas!

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*Honey B’s post about Mommy-isms had me digging deep into my childhood of all the things my Mom said to me… and how I cringed when I find myself repeating those same exact things.  What’s your best (or worst) Mommy-ism?

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*Mama M’s dilemma of when to let your teenager go and trust them… I can’t even imagine  my daughter dating boys or my son checking out girls or wondering if the party at their friend’s house is adult-supervised like he said.  So, props to you Mama for hanging in there. The hardest part of being a parent is trusting that you’ve done the right thing. Moms of older kids… what are your thoughts?

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*Shandal’s post about a book that is saving her sanity. I had one of those books as well, but that’s another post for another day.  Do you have a book that has gotten you through disciplinary problems or helped you get through a rough patch?

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Make sure you come back tomorrow for a GIVEAWAY!

And as always, thanks for being a part of the Our Mommyhood community – a place for moms and bloggers to grow and connect.