why I could never be a mommy blogger

Mommy Blogger: a blogger who is a mom and writes incessantly about her child/children, gives parenting tips & reviews products, all while enjoying a glass of wine while their child is down for a nap. Sure, there is more to being a mommy blogger, but for today's purposes, we are keeping it sweet and simple. And it's been quoted that there are about 4.2 million mommy bloggers on the interwebs; so you know they can be a force to be reckoned with. Before I settled on lifestyle blogging, I thought about identifying as a mommy blogger; I had my son, and I wanted to share cute pictures and my thoughts and opinions on being a mom. But I soon figured out that mommy blogging was not for me... for a few reasons. 

I refuse to limit myself to one aspect of my life. 

I am more than a mom. I am a beauty obsessed, shopping addict who has a master's degree and loves to write. I am also a wife, and wine glass painter. Identifying as a mommy blogger would be limiting myself to just the one niche in the bloggy world. 

Mommy bloggers can be more about the reviews then the blogging. 

I will admit that I do follow a handful of mommy blogs, and they generally write some great content, but some others, the ones who give mommy bloggers a bad name, are all about the reviews and giveaways. Sure, getting some free product in exchange for a genuine review is all well and good- it's a great perk of blogging- but constantly posting reviews and nothing else, kinda tends to get on my nerves. It's one of those things that will make me instantly stop following. 

It's a mommy blogger eat mommy blogger world. 

Bloggers are all about sharing opinions. Yes, some share actual research, but most of the posts are about their experiences and opinions about a certain subject. Being a mommy blogger and believing that co-sleeping, vaccinations, letting your child take the lead in potty training, and more, may be your opinion, but not another blogger's opinion. Sharing your thoughts on something like parenting can open you up to viral shaming or even black listing. Some mommy blogger readers can be super judgmental and mean. 

I'm wary of posting my kid's photo online. 

A requirement of being a mommy blogger is posting your kids... and their cuteness. Back in 2014, I wrote a post about my issues with privacy. Basically I talked about how the idea of my kid's photo ending up on a porn site scared the shit out of me... because at that point in time, when I Googled my blog, my kid's face was everywhere! I chose this life of blogging and I am choosing to post MY pictures, but my kid is too young to actually consent to being photographed and then having his photo shared across the interwebs. Yes, there are ways to prevent the photo stealing- like watermarking and the whole "no pin" html, but there is no reason that I should have to take the extra step. 

My personality. 

I tend to cuss here and there, and I advertise that I love and drink wine. So... maybe I wouldn't be a good candidate or role model for mommy blogging. 

Now, I am not saying that being a mommy blogger, or identifying as one, is a bad thing. It's just something that I prefer not to do, because it's not for me. There are some great mommy blogs out there, like the ones that show the honest side of motherhood, and I would definitely recommend them to read. My favorites are Baby Sideburns and Scary Mommy. 

Are you a mom? Could you identify as a mommy blogger?

*photo credit: Ashley Ella Design

Always say yes to the wine.