The Blogging Phenomenon

Blogging is an interesting phenomenon. There are various approaches to blogging and I have never really had an approach other than to sit down and write whatever comes to my head. The last several months I have gone from posting two or three or more times a day to not even getting around to it every day. I have mainly used my blog as a journal -- to get my thoughts on paper and to be a place where I can look through my past and find the things that I need to know. For example, if I want to know when someone was arrested or the exact date when we found out someone was pregnant, I can go back to my blog and read between the lines to discover those things. I have used it to share my feelings, but I haven't been one to rely on comments to get me through the day, even though I don't mind encouragement. :-)

I have found that blogging makes things seem funnier than they sometimes are and this is a place where I have an intended audience -- it's supposed to be a place where people get it. Sometimes when I post on Facebook, people aren't really sure how to take my post. I now have almost 1200 friends and many of them are people who have 1.6 "normal" birthkids... so some of the stuff I write confuses them. They try to give me advice or indicate that I have offended them.

For example, yesterday I wanted to write in my status update, "My Day has been like a Rated R (for language) episode of the Three Stooges." But I'm sure I would have gotten comments about how I needed to try washing their mouths out with soap, or possibly time-outs, or grounding them. AS IF I HAVEN'T TRIED EVERTHING!?!? (oops, sorry for yelling. Kinda). But yesterday when there were only four kids home -- Tony, Dom, Jimmy and Wilson (and Wilson spent the day in hiding), the other three were "helping" pack, but mostly arguing and swearing at each other to the point that Bart and I were more exhausted than if we would have just done the work ourselves.

But also share my experiences because I think I've learned a thing or two in the last 15 years of pretty intense parenting. I have made a zillion mistakes that I don't want other adoptive parents to make and so I feel that if I blog my way through my journey that others might read this and say "Wow, I'm not going to do THAT." Lately I have used my blog to get some ideas and to network about our move and trying to sell the house and find a place for Rand to live. Those things haven't happened yet, but I"m still hoping...

But I also recognize that people read something that benefits them. There is nothing else that compels people on the internet to read something -- they aren't being watched or monitored and there is no monetary reward. So either as a blogger they get drawn into your story and want to follow your life, they care at you because they know you in real life, or they are getting something out of it. Or you crack them up with your bizarre sense of humor (i.e. the Bloggess, that I confess to reading occasionally even though she has a filthy mouth. But of course, I live in an R-rated house).

I recognize lately that the blog has been way too much about me and I must warn you that it may be like this for a while yet. The move is completely encompassing me and between keeping up with my four jobs (two very part time, for FYI) and getting everyone settled into a good plan for next year, and packing, and trying to find out what to do with this house, I've been overwhelmed.

So, all of that to say that today I am going to share something that may or may not benefit you, but for once, is not all about me. And I'm going to put it in a new blog post so that I can link it to a few places and not make those who might not understand me wade through all of this stuff. But I want to talk about the fact that adoption is a Mentorless Movement....