Parental Oversharing??

I’ve been in blog purgatory for some time now. Recently there have been several articles about “parental oversharing” namely through social media and blogs. Most of the discussion stems from an article written in The Atlantic Monthly. When my parenting guru, Alyson Schafer, appeared on CTV News discussing “Mommy Blogs and Oversharing”, my heart stopped. Should I be blogging at all?

I’ve long considered sixtotenmom.com as a form of story-telling, a creative writing exercise that keeps my brain cells functioning when the endless cycle of housekeeping and child-rearing starts to dull the firing of the neurons. And when one writes, they are told to “write about what one knows.” My life is what I know best and my children are the single largest focus of my life.

My blog keeps me connected to friends and family as well as a (slightly) larger community of parents. There have been plenty of days when I’ve felt isolated and frustrated and in over my head. It’s on those days that I grasp the lifeline that is other parenting blogs. I need to know that I am not alone. I need to commiserate and see that there is light at the end of the tunnel. And I hope that sometimes my blog does the same for others.

But by sharing my parenting experiences, am I in danger of harming my children in some way? I do have to remember that at some point in the future, they- or their friends- may read my blog and I must anticipate how they could react. And could this potential harm the relationship that I have with my children? Am I being too self-indulgent and at what cost?

I don’t have the answers. It is serious food for thought. For now, I will continue to write but I will remain vigilant about the effect my blog will have on my children in the future. I’m interested to hear your thoughts on this idea of “oversharing” and if you think it is a potential problem. How much is too much?