Struggling

I've been struggling lately with blogging. This might be obvious since I haven't posted anything since October. The reason for my struggle is simple...I've seen a lot of really obnoxious blogs. (I won't provide any links so you can happily think that your blog is not one of the obnoxious ones.) As a result, I have developed a few blog pet peeves.

#1: We all think our kids are cuter, smarter and funnier than average. Can't we just make that assumption and move on. Even if your child won the spelling bee as he was carving his first place pinewood derby car and swimming the fastest 50 meters on record I will still think my child is better. That's the beauty of being a parent. We don't need to prove to each other that our kids are the best because, for each of us, they actually are.

#2: Debbie Downers. It's not easy to be a mom. It's not easy to work. It's not easy to have a perfect marriage. It's not easy to wake up each day with a smile on your face. Life is hard, but does it get any easier if you complain about it all the time?

#3: Standing on a soapbox. I don't like feeling bad about my choices when I read a blog. I like sugar, okay!

#4: Not enough/too many pictures. Please don't share an awesome story about how your Mom got stuck in the dishwasher without including a picture. It's like making a cake without putting the icing on. On the other hand, I don't need to see 30 pictures of the buffalo you saw at Yellowstone. One will do.

I think the reason these bug me so much is because I'm guilty of doing all of them. Fortunately, there are also a lot of really great blogs. Blogs that are funny and honest. Blogs that have a healthy mix of the good and the bad. Blogs that make me want to be a better person. Blogs that don't make me feel bad that I'm not a better person.

The other day I walked into our office and the kids were all sitting on the couch looking at a blog book I had made. They loved it. I realized then that I need to stop being so judgmental of others. After all, we all blog for the same reason...so we can remember.